Lost Highway

This might be one of the easiest five stars of my life. I never thought I’d be blessed with both Ramstein and Marilyn Manson in a Lynch film. The cinematography this time around is one of the best it’s been in one of his films, in my opinion, far supporting Mulholland Drive. In my opinion. It feels more controlled, precise here. Where most directors are precise with colour, Lynch seems to play with light and darkness in an immensely satisfying way in this film. The composition, while not incredible, is more than serviceable. The sound design is simply phenomenal. Although I personally loved the sound design in Eraserhead, it was raw and still uncontrolled. Here the sound design is subtle, controlled. Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are incredible in Eraserhead but absolutely perfected here. The slight buzz on the background was just enough to constantly keep me on my toes. The needle drops were also simply superb, some phenomenal songs, all at the perfect moments. I think this might also be one of my favourite Lynch scripts. It manages to maintain that slightly blunt tone most Lynch scripts have, but it also manages to bring in an element of realism, an element the actors take full advantage of. The story is, in my opinion, quite superb. While quite open for interpretation, I found this to be a powerful discussion on how guilt can haunt you. You cannot escape guilt. No matter how you try to remember things. Guilt records you, and will play things back to you like a video tape. It is everywhere, all at once. My only possible caveat would be that the sex in this film seems a bit indulgent, but it also feels like a powerful vessel for the themes of this film, so I don’t mind. I usually don’t type out reviews like this, not at this length atleast, but this film has ignited my love for film all over again.