Inland Empire (2006)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

David Lynch

Writer (WGA):

David Lynch (written by)

Release Date:

7 February 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A Woman In Trouble

Plot:

An actress's perception of reality becomes increasingly distorted as she finds herself falling for her co-star in a remake of an unfinished Polish production that was supposedly cursed.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Hollywood | Hypnotism | Cult Favorite | Film Camera

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Laura Dern	...	Nikki Grace / Susan Blue
Jeremy Irons	...	Kingsley Stewart
Justin Theroux	...	Devon Berk / Billy Side
Karolina Gruszka	...	Lost Girl
Jan Hencz	...	Janek (as Jan Hench)
Krzysztof Majchrzak	...	Phantom
Grace Zabriskie	...	Visitor #1
Ian Abercrombie	...	Henry the Butler
Karen Baird	...	Servant
Bellina Logan	...	Linda
Amanda Foreman	...	Tracy
Peter J. Lucas	...	Piotrek Król
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Freddie Howard
Cameron Daddo	...	Devon Berk's Manager
Jerry Stahl	...	Devon Berk's Agent

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violence and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

180 min | Poland:197 min (Camerimage Film Fest)

Country:

France | Poland | USA

Language:

English | Polish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iran:18+ | UK:15 | Belgium:KNT | France:U | Poland:18 | Italy:T | Ireland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:13 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Spain:18 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | USA:R (certificate #42975) | New Zealand:R16 | Iceland:14

Filming Locations:

Avalon Hollywood - 1735 Vine Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Studio Canal

Trivia:

In the brief scene where Jeremy Irons is speaking to his gaffer through a megaphone in order to lower a light, the voice of the gaffer is David Lynch.

Quotes:

Street Person #1: I'll show you light now. It burns bright forever. No more blue tomorrows. You on high now, love.

Movie Connections:

References Mommie Dearest (1981)

Soundtrack:

Polish Poem

One of the few films to actually scare me - a wild, beautiful trip

I just saw the NY premier of Inland Empire, and it was so refreshing to once again be transported in a way only David Lynch can transport somebody. Inland Empire is Lynch at his best - funny, thoughtful, eerie, beautiful, dark, deeply disturbing, and terrifying in a way that few horror films have ever affected me. The film is a slow burn, taking its time (about 3 hours), leaping through realities and bizarre encounters, continually keeping the audience asking themselves what reality they are experiencing, and what that reality means.

Laura Dern gives an outstanding performance as the tagline's "girl in trouble." She goes to places I don't ever remember seeing her go, from the naive to the terrifying, truly exposed. I've heard Lynch is campaigning for an Oscar nod for Ms. Dern, so maybe this is the one. She really blew me away.

This film - like all of Lynch's endeavors - is certainly not for everyone. It's vague, bizarre, jumps all over the place, and at times is deeply frightening (one of the few films in a long time to actually give me nightmares), but in my opinion it's also truly beautiful, almost serene. If you like a linear, clear-cut story, then don't see this film. If you appreciate non-linear, surreal drama/horror, however, then by all means go see it. Lynch is independently producing this, so I know he's banking on a lot of word of mouth for Inland Empire to be successful. Help him out. It's a fantastic film.