This is an extremely difficult film to review and it was pretty difficult to watch at times. There’s no driving narrative behind it and it remains an elaborate mystery to me. It’s a love it or loathe it type of film and I’m sure many will loathe it. It’s David Lynch at his most “Lynchian”, but it’s also brilliant in its own warped way. Lynch is at the top of his game here getting great performances all around and ramping up his nightmare/creep show gimmicks to a fever pitch. You may not have a clue what is going on but you will never be bored during Inland Empire. I highly recommend this singularly unique and disturbing motion picture. At the very least, it has an oscar-worthy and chilling performance from Laura Dern and some geniunely creepy moments that would make Eli Roth crap in his Calvin Klein underwear.
The plot has something to do with two actors doing a film that is cursed. It turns out the film was never finished because the two original leads were murdered during filming. Laura Dern plays one of the actors (and someone else later on in the film) and Justin Theroux is her arrogant and smarmy co-star. Jeremy Irons is the flamboyant director who assures his leads that the film is not a remake (” I would never sign up for a remake “, sniffs smarmy lothario Theurox) and the film isn’t cursed.
Things go insane from there and you have people in rabbit suits involved in some kind of surreal sitcom being watched by a character only known as “The Lost Girl”. I know how she felt. I was lost and just enjoyed the scenery on the trip down the rabbit hole that is David Lynch’s mind. Besides people in rabbit suits you have scenes of jolting sadism and creepiness, zombiefied prostitutes dancing, some kind of evil Phantom man, and a polish folk tale about an abused, unfaithful woman that unfolds inside either the world of The Lost Girl or in real life…..or maybe a dream, who knows.
Inland Empire comes to DVD in a stellar 2 disc set with loads of extra features and 90 minutes of deleted scenes. I’m off to watch that next after I am done watching the film for a second time. It’s 3 hours, so I recommend a break in the middle to keep hold of your sanity and continue the journey. Inland Empire is a must-see, for Laura Dern’s performance alone.
Film Grade: A-
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