with one day leading to the next

first off, i’ve got to give some credit to my brother for the art gracing today’s post. he seems to have gotten into a street art-phase, or something of the like. this little piece is called “hello there”. i like it a lot.

so, this past year i was exposed to the work of David Lynch. it was a rocky affair at first, with my first greeting being the movie Inland Empire.  it’s a curling, crawling, complicated composition, dragging out for an agonizing 180 minutes. don’t mistake me by my choice of adjectives, however: i liked it. it’s not really the type of straightforward movie you can drift in and out of while munching on popcorn and talking to friends. you must devote your undivided attention to it. and even then, you probably are going to be left scratching your head. it lives up to its tagline: a woman in trouble.

a couple of months ago i tried out Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. it felt smoother than Inland Empire, but still had that complicated mise en abyme plotline that leaves your head reeling if you’re not willing to be a little tolerant and creative with the story being pitched before you.

what really turns me on, however, has to be Lynch’s television series Twin Peaks and his movie Blue Velvet. besides the fact that both star Kyle MacLachlan, who is absolutely fantastic, they are a little more approachable than the other Lynch works i’ve encountered. it still isn’t any sort of “invite over that co-worker you’ve been meaning to get to know better and watch a film together” sort of lightness, but compared to some of Lynch’s other films they feel much easier to consume.

i think what truly interests me about Lynch films is that they inspire discussion. you can’t watch one without venturing an interpretation of it, no matter how far-flung or bizarre. it’s perfect material for discussing with a few close friends who share an open mind.

since i don’t really have any friends here in my hometown who share my interest in Lynch, i usually end up going for long runs after watching something by him, during which i roll the plot over and over in my mind and try to sort things out on my own. usually i come home exhausted, sweaty, and still curious what the blue box and triangle key were really supposed to represent.

were they supposed to represent anything at all?