David Lynch’s INLAND EMPIRE is a film that sticks with you. Rather than most of this summer’s action-packed popcorn fodder, which are as memorable as Muzak, there are moments of Lynch’s 3-hour DV-shot movie that I keep coming back to. Is it the utterly distinctness of the imagery, or is it the overall puzzle of the film itself, begging to be considered and resolved? How convenient, then, that the film gets a DVD release to get those mental cogs spinning again.

As of writing, there’s not much I can add about the film or its meaning since my theatrical review of the film. The aloof story remains the same. It’s something about a woman in trouble (okay, that one’s easy as its written on the DVD cover), involving Polish husbands, finger-clicking prostitutes, and a lot of nightmarish moments where identity is fluid, if not lost. In my original review, I felt the film was too long. But after a second and third viewing, I find the film is starting to come together. Certain scenes and ideas begin to link, a (non-linear) narrative begins to emerge. My boredom came from simply not having a clue what was happening, and now that sense is starting to reveal itself fewer moments feel superfluous.

There is no doubt that the quality of the film on DVD is exceptional, with Lynch overseeing most details personally. The soundtrack is beautiful but very subtle. The main difficulty of appreciating INLAND EMPIRE in the cinema was the “amateurish” feeling of the imagery. But this is of course Lynch deliberately utilising the feeling of DV in order to generate the right affect. Watching the film at home is a slightly safer feeling, the images are less grainy, they feel more comfortable on the TV screen without reducing the overall feeling of the film.

The Region 1 edition of the DVD contains a second disc loaded with extras.

However, their worth is rather deceptive. The main extra is the 75 minutes of deleted scenes, entitled “More Things That Happened”, edited together into their own little narrative. Or so you’d think. But in reality it’s a mish-mash of assorted moments that range between the interesting (such as the scene with the watchmaker) to the pointless (the hookers on the side of the road). Some add more to the film, but not enough to deserve a second watch.

“Ballerina”, a short film, is the weakest of the extras, for it consists of 12 minutes of a ballerina twirling through superimposed haze, and is not this wonderful short that I hoped the DVD would include.”David Lynch Cooks Quinoa” would seem like the most frivilous of extras, but this 20 minute demonstration is the most endearing element of the DVD. As Lynch waits for the grain to cook, he tells a story of travelling from Greece to Italy on a train when younger. What is essentially a story of drinking Yugoslavian sugar-water and giving an Eastern European girl her first Coca-Cola becomes something much more as Lynch describes the tale, his eyes alight with passion as he relishes the details and highlights the magic of his journey. This is utter proof that Lynch is not pretentious, he just portrays the wonder and delight he sees in situations.

“Lynch 2″ is a nice insight into the working life of Lynch, as we see the production phase of INLAND EMPIRE. Unsurprisingly, he is a man who demands the perfection of his imagination, often resorting to being his own set-designer to attain that perfect look. Lynch the director is much more intimidating than the mellow Lynch we see in the “Stories” interview segment, but both are equally intriguing to fans.
Overall, INLAND EMPIRE is an excellent film. It’s Lynch’s most difficult and abstract film, and thus many will find the experience unenjoyable. But for those willing to grapple with a seemingly disjointed tale, this film is one fo the best examples of pure cinematic art. Anyone from Europe should avoid the Region 2 DVD and instead nab this version, with its vastly superior collection of extras.