Thoughts on Lost Highway?

This was one of the few David Lynch movies I hadn't re-watched, and hadn't seen it since I was around 15-16 (27 now). Why did I overlook this for so long?

I think this is one of Lynch's best, and there is a lot here that you'd see later on in Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire, and Twin Peaks: The Return.

In my opinion it's like a reverse Mulholland Drive, where the second half is the dream and the beginning is reality (if we really want to define Lynch's work on a literal level, at least). It's also one of his more graphic films when it comes to sex and violence, but even in these sex scenes he captures the mystery and eroticism of sexuality perfectly. The love scene in the desert with Song to the Siren playing is magnificent.

There's also some of Lynch's scariest moments here, particularly anything involving Robert Blake's mystery man. "We've met before, haven't we?". And that image of his face super-imposed over Arquette's is pure nightmare fuel.

How does everyone feel about this one? I don't see it discussed nearly as much as Lynch's other films, but I think it's a dazzling, scary, hypnotic puzzle box that ranks up there with the director's finest works.

Also, even if I'm gay, Patricia Arquette is dangerously sexy in this, and it's probably one of my favorite performances in a Lynch film. The way her character shifts throughout the film is fascinating, but especially in the third act when her darker shades start revealing themselves. She's amazing in it.

I really loved it.

__________________
Recent Views (out of 4)
Eighth Grade- (3.5/4)
Sicario 2- (3/4)
Assassination Nation- (3/4)
Mandy- (3.5/4)

Lost Highway it's my favorite Lynch film. It's a masterpiece of horror and mystery.
Robert Blake's mystery man was so good that even now, 20 years after the release date still frightening.

Lost Highway is great, one of my fave Lynch movies.

__________________
Letterboxd

It's the Lynch film i have to see again most. Watched it years ago immediately after watching Mulholland Drive for the first time, didn't completely take to it at the time but i think i'd feel differently now that i'm more familiar with Lynch.

And yeah The Mystery Man is what i remember most. Possibly Lynchs most creepy character and the dread in that scene is incredible.

I absolutely love everything about it, and now that you mentioned it, I have a sudden crave to watch it again. It's easily my favourite Lynch film, although I would like to rewatch Inland Empire a few more times to officially decide.

__________________
"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."

- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke

Should really watch it again. I loved it about 10 years ago when I initially saw it.

It was kind of good but I felt that the sex scenes were out of place, and a couple of them went on questionably long, and it's like okay, let's move on already, and I think Lynch was perhaps being too sexually exploitative. Not that I was offended by seeing sex, I just think he overmade his points perhaps, and it clashed with the tone of the rest of the movie.

I think sex played a massive role in majority of decisions characters made, so if anything there can be only too little of it. The whole movie is kicked off by that shoulder tap during sex, at least in my opinion.

__________________
“By definition, you have to live until you die. Better to make that life as complete and enjoyable an experience as possible, in case death is shite, which I suspect it will be.”

Yeah I'd tend to agree and Patricia Arquettes presense across much of the film is clearly playing that up to the degree it doesn't feel out of place when we actually see it. Often I would say the more exploitive uses of sex onscreen tend to actually be shorter scenes that have little to do with the film in question, something like Swordfish or Trek into Darkness come to mind.

I'd definitely agree with the OP that it feels very similar to Mulholland Drive, in some respects perhaps a little more focused given the latter was more of a reworked TV pilot although perhaps not with a character/performance as interesting as Naomi Watts.

I'd agree as well that Lynch goes beyond any conventional horror I'v seen in terms of creating a sense of dread, Blakes character is far more unsettling than any screen monster.



Referring to my avi as well I personally think that that Glazer drew as much on latter Lynch as he did Kubrick(Birth obviously being very Kubrick heavy) for Under The Skin with the same kind of mix of sexually and creeping dread.

I have to agree that the sex scenes seem out of place and were questionably long.

Sure the sex played a part in the decision making, but James Bond for example, makes decisions based on sex, and you don't see the sex scenes going on for that long. Here the sex scenes are shot like a softcore porn movie, so it suffers from identity crisis as a result.

I think this is his most underrated film.

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

I love everything about that movie. The soundtrack was awesome too.

__________________

That's because firstly this is much deeper movie than James Bond is, secondly it relies heavily on metaphors and things that are shown which can be interpreted in multiple ways. Thirdly not only does sex have important role in this movie, without sex there wouldn't be movie to watch, and I believe you had failed to notice that (I'm just stating this, don't take it the wrong way). Without sex and main character's role in it, we wouldn't have Mystery Man, nor would we have an "ignition" to the story. That tap on the shoulder in the beginning is what matters, and for it you need a great sex scene, not just a bunch of ass shots and backs or whatever...

“Smooth as s**t off a duck's ass!“

Great mystery thriller,i certainly like those naturals on patricia arquette

But why did a couple of the sex scenes go on for quite a long time though, or so it felt like? what was the point of dragging it out?

Let's say it like this, if your character is hiding a dead body in his closet, wouldn't every conversation around it be dragged out, so the scene becomes more suspenseful? Here, the sex reveals a lot, actually this movie is created around it, and as a center point I believe it deserves attention it had got, as there is no movie without it. Movie has to focus on its themes, this one simply had an unusual and a different theme, that's why people notice it so much, but in an action movie you wouldn't say scene of action was dragging out.

Compared to your typical Bond film were the romance is typically rather shallow with the real focus being on discovering the villains plot and defeating it, hence long scenes of suspense with Bond attempting to do. The Craig films were perhaps a bit different but I don't think sex within some of them would have been rather out of place had they not had to avoid an R-rating for financial considerations.

I just think the link to pornography is a bit dishonest it is depends solely on how graphic the content is. Much of the argument against pornography being relevant on the level of good cinema would not relate to how much in shows in terms of sex/nudity but rather issues like its lack of depth otherwise, questionable messages it might send and potential exploitation of those within in.

Not to say there haven't been a heck of a lot of films that have used sex in a shallow fashion of course but I don't think it equates to every film that shows it.

My favorite Lynch movie. The thing I like the most about it was the film itself was set up as a kind of mystery. Not a whodunit mystery, but a "Something is going on, but you don't know what it is" kinda mystery. I watched it two or three times when it first come out and several other times over the first year that it had been released on DVD. I read a few articles about the film that actually detracted from my being able to figure it out because they were wrong. Once I figured out what Lynch was doing with the sequence of events I was able to figure it out rather easily. I just did not get that right away.

I'd be interested in what the forum members thought the Robert Blake character was or represented? I have my own ideas