Eraserhead

i wanted to start my Lynch rewatch with Eraserhead. my first time watching this film i did not pay attention to the heavy theme; instead i paid more attention to the humour, surrealism, and how cool whatever that baby alien is. rewatching with a new understanding of Lynch and his art, i appreciate this film ten times more than i did originally. not only do i see the beauty of this film, but i see how the fears of responsibility and fatherhood challenges (expected) traditional norms. firstly, as thrilling and surrealistic as this film is, it is incredibly hard to watch (probably because i am not a huge fan of silence). however, i find this represents the level of disinterest Henry has for being a father. so although this film is hard to watch and hard for me to be completely attentive, everything that makes it slightly difficult to watch significantly adds to the plot. the discomfort created by the unsettling soundscape, sparse dialogue, the slow-pacing imagery, and minimal plot, positions the viewer in the psychological state of Henry - which is honestly quite amazing. following on that, i liked that the little to no dialogue in some scenes is still able to clearly communicate Lynch's vision for this film. black and white films may be challenging to watch. colour adds familiarity, warmth, and its easier to understand or learn the characters. what i love about Lynch with his black and white films, is he can still articulate whatever message he wants to get across without relying on colour to do that. i found that the black and white visuals effectively showcase the bleakness and prison-like vibe to Henry's apartment and essentially his world. Lynch films do not need to be colourful to be meaningful or deep; they just are. through the surrealism and humour mixed with the gravity of a common fear of becoming/being a parent - this film feels very thoughtful and intentional. i love how experimental Eraserhead is and how it feels like a proper introduction to Lynch as an artist.