Lost Highway

Writing an accurate and witty review of Lynch's film will probably always be an impossible nut for me to crack (and I hope not just me). Lost Highway was my second David Lynch film; the first I had the honor of seeing was Mulholland Drive. Psycho-babble, schizophrenia, darkness, inability to understand – resignation of understanding – that's my description. But the atmosphere is absolutely wonderful. However, some kind of instruction manual would be good. :) (2009-06-16)

I didn't get the point, and I react with a puzzled expression to interpretations of split personality, but that didn't stop Lynch from chewing me up and spitting me out with it. Only that escalating confusion just freezes at certain moments and makes Lost Highway "only" a successful toy, its main advantage being that exploring meanings keeps us from sleeping. (2006-01-01)

I had chosen Lost Highway as my introduction to Lynch’s insanity quite some time ago, but I had such respect for it that I put it off as for long as I could. It was a big mistake. I was glued to the screen from the first minute, hypnotised by the incredible atmosphere, the weird characters and the even weirder plot, hoping that it will continue for a long time. Especially at the beginning, Lost Highway is one of the most terrifying non-horror films I’ve ever watched – I had dreams about the Mystery Man. As you can see, this film blew my mind, and not only once. The first time it was while I watched it, when I was utterly amazed by all that bizarreness, and the second time when I looked for some interpretations on the internet (no, I really didn’t get it). And I believe it will blow my mind for a third time when I watch it again and realize that none of those interpretations are correct, and that there is more, a lot more in this film. (2009-02-22)

This is Lynch's transition to films that simply no one understands and can't grasp. Lynch doesn't make them for people to understand, but rather to derive something from them - some emotions, some impact. Even boredom is impactful. Out of the trio of films "Lost Highway," "Inland Empire," and "Mulholland Drive," this is unequivocally the winner for me, thanks to its incredibly dark atmosphere underscored by amazing industrial music in contrast to Badalamenti's more lyrical soundtrack. Nevertheless, out of Lynch's latest four major films, "The Straight Story" is still the best for me. "Lost Highway" essentially stems from the feeling of being watched. It's not a pleasant sensation, and the atmosphere reflects that. This film can have so many interpretations and none of them will be correct, but I like how everyone tries to find that one perfectly functional meaning in it. I do that too, but it simply doesn't work. (2014-03-13)

Looks like I may have finally "matured" into Lynch. I'm still a bit annoyed that this arrogant and brilliant bastard creates a cinematic puzzle that either cannot be assembled or is beyond the grasp of the average person, and that he also uses dream passages where almost any mysterious rebellion against the conventions of classical narrative can be stuffed without explanation, but when the atmosphere is so overwhelming, the clues to unravelling all the mysteries so seemingly close, the overt sexuality so disturbing and fascinating, and the busty Patricia Arquette is such a stunning femme fatale (even if her face does look a bit like an Aletta Ocean-like porn star), it's simply impossible not to savour every patiently unfolding shot and be grateful that we have the opportunity to play such an interpretive game to begin with. I don't know what species Lynch was born from, but it certainly isn’t human... God or Devil :) 85% (2017-02-01)