I've been thinking about reviewing Lost Highway, but thought it would be best to discuss the movie with others first. Why? Part of the reason is because Lynch himself has said he is more concerned with creating an artwork; something that requires interpretation. I would like to offer an interpretation of what is going on in the movie, and have people jump in and critique what I have said and offer their own interpretation of the movie. The only real helpful advice I have read by David Lynch in regard to interpreting this film is the advice to take the movie as it is, "not to over analyze it." So with that in mind I will only try to describe what is going on in the film and not offer an interpretation as to what it means. In my humble opinion it could very well not mean anything in particular. If you believe that the only criteria for interpreting a film is to discover the intention of the author, I think you doomed to eternal frustration with this work. I think the point was to create an artwork that raises enough questions to draw you into the mystery of the film. The mystery is not "who dun it", but rather "what is happening in this film". The film itself is a mystery. It's like the old Bob Dylan Song, "Ballad of a thin Man" that says,
There's something happening
but you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones.
By doing this I am totally opening myself to a lot of potential criticism, but please criticize my ideas, not me. My interpretation next post. One last point. In my opinion, this movie requires multiple viewings. I think this is the problem with traditional reviewers like Ebert, who did watch the film more than once, but concluded it was indecipherable. I know discussion on this topic will be limited because Lynch does not appeal to a lot of people, but I think if you take the time to watch this movie a couple times you might actually enjoy taking a stab at figuring it out. Either way the next post is nothing but spoilers so watch it at least once before you read any further.
There's something happening
but you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones.
By doing this I am totally opening myself to a lot of potential criticism, but please criticize my ideas, not me. My interpretation next post. One last point. In my opinion, this movie requires multiple viewings. I think this is the problem with traditional reviewers like Ebert, who did watch the film more than once, but concluded it was indecipherable. I know discussion on this topic will be limited because Lynch does not appeal to a lot of people, but I think if you take the time to watch this movie a couple times you might actually enjoy taking a stab at figuring it out. Either way the next post is nothing but spoilers so watch it at least once before you read any further.