I thought the opening montage was a masterclass of establishing story setting and audience expectation. Cliche shots of suburbia are interrupted by Jeffrey's father's heart attack/stroke and that zoom in on the insect underbelly of it all. With no dialogue, Lynch has subverted the white picket fence setting with Jeffrey's escapism as he struggles to understand this world after visiting his father. In order to do this, he plays detective to this underbelly, discovering the insect-covered ear, and kick-starting the noir.
The mystery leads us to Dorothy and it's here that Jeffrey, and us as the audience, flirt with the fine line between detective and voyeur. As we cross it, we are introduced to Dennis Hopper's animalistic, evil performance which is both mesmerizing and terrifying to watch by design. The worst scene hits like a gut punch. A punishment for creeping in that closet. Buckett is on point with Frank's representation here, and I agree that Jeffrey is appalled while also being intrigued. If we are having trouble connecting with Jeffrey here, then look no further than the popularity of true crime dramas and our propensity to be curious about evil.
If Frank is our worst instincts unfiltered, then Sandy is pure goodness. She's idealistic to the point where she literally manifests from the shadows. I think it was interesting to juxtapose film noir with a Grease like high school romance. These movies typically play out like fairy tales and Lynch pulls from these cliches - think hot rod driving boy picks up girl from school, boy and girl have soda date at diner, angry football player boyfriend. But these are just settings that don't play out like a fairy tale. Jeffrey always steers the conversation back to the mystery, and pulls Sandy toward the gritty reality of this world. This is wrapped up perfectly in the heartbreaking genre-mash of a climactic scene where Jeffrey and Sandy's squabble with her ex is insignificant compared to the discovery of a battered and nude Dorothy.
Speaking of Dorothy - what a tragic character. Does she represent celebrity as a commodity? We are so invasive to her space that even at home she doesn't have the chance to be herself. Anything personal to her has to be hidden, or has already been taken away from her. Physical violence is the only way she can feel anything anymore. I'm reaching a bit here, but I'd be curious to get everyone's take on her.
I agree with Mike about the ending. We've reached Sandy's dreamlike utopia. But even here her robin of love isn't real, it's mechanical, perhaps indicating that life is somewhere between these two extremes.
What a strange world.Statistics: Posted by Zombie — Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:21 pm
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