In the pilot episode of Twin Peaks, David Lynch masterfully captures the mundane rhythms of daily life in a high school setting. We witness a student sneaking a cigarette, another being summoned to the principal's office, and a teacher taking attendance. The scene shifts abruptly when a police officer enters the classroom, whispering to the teacher. A scream pierces the air, and outside the window, a student is seen sprinting across the courtyard. The teacher struggles to hold back tears, bracing for an announcement. Lynch's camera then focuses on an empty seat, as two students exchange a knowing glance, realizing their friend Laura Palmer is dead.
Lynch's talent for capturing surface-level details is evident, yet he always delves deeper, revealing the unsettling undercurrents that lurk beneath. This scene encapsulates the essence of Lynch's thematic focus throughout his career, though it's just one of many iconic moments he created over more than four decades in film, television, and art. Each Lynch enthusiast might highlight a different scene or work as their favorite, illustrating the broad appeal and varied interpretations of his oeuvre.
The term "Lynchian" has come to describe that unsettling, dream-like quality that defines Lynch's work. This unique adjective, like "Kafkaesque," transcends specific elements of his films to encompass a broader, more pervasive sense of disorientation and unease. The passing of such a singular artist is difficult for fans to accept, as Lynch's influence touched different aspects for everyone.
For many film enthusiasts, watching Lynch's Eraserhead was a rite of passage. This tradition continued into newer generations, as seen when a teenager and his girlfriend independently started watching Twin Peaks, reaching the Windom Earle era of Season 2. Lynch's work remains timeless, characterized by its oddity, as evidenced by the nostalgic yet unsettling world of Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017. In this series, Lynch chose to depict a child's bedroom reminiscent of 1956, while simultaneously exploring bizarre dimensions and evil clones.
When Hollywood embraced nostalgia, Lynch took the opportunity to create Twin Peaks: The Return on his own terms, leaving audiences bewildered by not bringing back key characters from the original series. This approach was quintessentially Lynchian. Even when he ventured into more conventional territory with Dune, Lynch's signature style shone through, despite the film's troubled production, as detailed in Max Evry's book, A Masterpiece in Disarray.
Lynch's films, like The Elephant Man, blend beauty with the bizarre. Set in a time when "freaks" were exploited, the film tells a touching story of John Merrick's resilience against a backdrop of societal cruelty. This blend of the surreal and the emotional is a hallmark of Lynch's work.
Attempting to categorize Lynch's work into genres or tropes is futile, yet his films are instantly recognizable. His fascination with the hidden world beneath our own is evident in Blue Velvet, where an everyman uncovers a dark underbelly behind a Norman Rockwell-esque facade. Lynch's influences, including The Wizard of Oz, contribute to a unique cinematic language that may never be replicated.
Lynch's impact extends to a new generation of filmmakers. In 2024's I Saw The TV Glow, directed by Jane Schoenbrun, a scene at a bar evokes a Lynchian atmosphere, inspired by Twin Peaks. Filmmakers like Yorgos Lanthimos, Robert Eggers, Ari Aster, David Robert Mitchell, Emerald Fennell, Richard Kelly, Rose Glass, Quentin Tarantino, and Denis Villeneuve have all drawn from Lynch's well of surrealism and otherworldliness.
While David Lynch may not be everyone's favorite director, his influence marks the end of an era. His films invite us to look beyond the surface, searching for those "Lynchian" elements that continue to inspire and unsettle.
David Lynch and Jack Nance on the set of Eraserhead.
