Film review – Conrad – 1/5/97
David Lynch, director of such movies as Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Eraserhead, and television classic Twin Peaks, is back to his enigmatic best with this one. The film stars Bill Pulman, who has all the right facial expressions for a man who doesn’t have a clue what’s going on, and Patricia Arquette , who somehow manages to be seductive, ordinary, dimwitted, clever, strange and normal.
The film itself follows a convoluted plot which can switch from normal everyday scenes into weird and sometimes incomprehensible ones and just as suddenly back again, so that reality is never quite what you think, and just when the plot seems to have backed itself into a corner it takes a totally unpredictable twist, leaving the viewer as confused and amazed as the characters.
Images appear in flashes and often reappear later in a way that makes more sense, but don’t expect a lot of obvious clues. What little dialogue there is doesn’t shed much light, and the viewer is largely left to draw their own conclusions.
Add to this the trademark Lynch surreal atmosphere as well as several characters that are not grounded in reality as we know it, and a greatly varied soundtrack ranging from moody atmospheric to country love songs to metal/rock, all serving perfectly to underscore the required moods at the right time.
The title “Lost Highway” is represented not only in the headlight-lit seemingly never-ending road that appears during the titles and at various stages throughout, but also in the journey taken by both the audience and the characters. We can see where Lynch shines the light but there is a pervading darkness and a sense of threat.
If it all sounds completely incomprehensible I would be misleading you, however, as the clues are there, and it’s the kind of film which you can ponder over long after it’s finished, and spark many a “What do you think it meant…?” conversation.
If you liked Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, this movie is for you.
