After Mulholland Drive, David Lynch once again turns his attention to the backstage of film industry in Inland Empire, one of his films that has sharply divided both the critics and the audience. Actress Nikki Grace learns from a neighbour visiting her that she has won the leading role in a film she has auditioned for. Depicting the story of forbidden love between a man and a woman, the film immediately triggers intense curiosity from the tabloid press. Meanwhile, strange occurrences are afoot. Nikki discovers that the same script had once been tried to be filmed before under another title, with the project coming to a halt when the lead actors were killed. Some believe the script to be cursed.

Up to this point, Inland Empire seems to offer an easy-to-track storyline. Yet during the final two hours, scenes from the film Nikki is working on and her real life begin to merge. Furthermore, these two worlds are not as easily distinguishable as in Lynch’s other films such as Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive. Rather than presenting a mystery to be solved, Inland Empire becomes an experience that pulls the viewer into a whirlpool of darkness. To quote from David Lynch himself: "I don't know what I want to say to people. I get ideas and I want to put them on film because they thrill me… I don't know why people expect art to make sense. They accept the fact that life doesn't make sense."

Venedik 2006

Future Film Festival Digital Award