10 Essential David Lynch Movies Explained & Analyzed

David Lynch is an American film director and one of the most prominent figures on the film scene.

Throughout his career he has been a specialist in disturbing the viewer and trapping him in his singular "Lynchean" universe, dominated by dreams and dreamlike realities inspired by the surrealism.

His films, which are far from the prototype of commercial cinema, make the public immerse themselves in them to try to understand a world full of confusion, where the exploration of the inner universe of being stands out human.

Lynch is a master of the seventh art and each of his stories stands out for the difficulty of its implausible plots, a complex narrative and an outstanding staging.

His shocking and terrifying filmography reveals an enormous talent, which can only be understood by viewing his works. These are the ten films by one of the directors with the most personality on the film scene.

1. Eraser head (1977)

Eraser head (Eraserhead) is David Lynch's first feature film. His filming lasted five years.

The unusual plot revolves around a young man, Henry Spencer, who is going to dinner at the house of his girlfriend, Mary, of his. There he learns that she has had a baby of his, an amorphous and grotesque being that emits strange noises, whom she abandons and leaves in charge of her.

It is a film classified within the cult cinema, in which some scenes are very impressive for the viewer. The image is precisely one of the most outstanding elements of the film since it recreates a dreamlike world and of the subconscious. Comparable with films like Metropolis (1926) or An Andalusian dog (1929), if we look at surrealist aesthetics.

A stimulating work with which, perhaps, Lynch wanted to awaken the horror and concern of the viewer.

2. The elephant Man (1980)

The elephant Man (The Elephant Man) is the director's second feature film. One of the main attractions of the film is that its plot is based on a true story, that of Joseph Merrick, a man who became popular due to his congenital deformations.

The story revolves around Frederick Treves, a young surgeon, who meets the elephant man during a London circus show. From that moment on he uses it as an example in his talks on medicine.

The audiovisual work hides a theme of humanity and a valuable teaching: the importance of inner beauty in the face of physical defects. He achieves this through a character who inspires rejection and who tries to overcome prejudices. Without a doubt, a universal message that decorated the director's film career.

3. Dune (1984)

This film is an adaptation of the homonymous novel by Frank Herbert that is established between the epic and science fiction genres. Although this film is not the best of the director's filmography, it is essential to understand his career. It is a demonstration of how a great budget is not synonymous with a great movie.

The futuristic plot revolves around the Atreides family who, due to an imperial order, have to take charge of the exploitation of the planet Arrakis (Dune), where the only drug that allows travel space. To do this, he will have to fight against the Harkonen family, enemies who had ruled the planet before and left a dent in the population.

Thus, Leto Atreides travels to the desert with the intention of overthrowing his adversaries. Once there, you have to deal with different threats and jeopardize your security.

Although the film has been one of the most criticized by the director for being an adaptation that is not very "faithful" to the novel and by having a slow narration, we can underline its wonderful staging and Photography.

4. Blue velvet (1986)

It is, in the opinion of many viewers, one of the director's best films. The filmmaker, for his part, describes it as “a story of love and mystery. It's about a guy who finds himself in two worlds, one nice and the other dark and scary. "

The story takes place in the city of Lumberton. There, Jeffrey Beaumont finds a severed human ear in a container near his home. Then he decides to expose the case to Detective Williams, who asks him not to tell anyone. From that moment on, he is involved in a series of strange and dangerous events.

This film is a portrait of cruelty and sexual violence in which it reveals horror, mental disorders and the darker side of society.

5. Wild Heart (1990)

This film is an adaptation of the homonymous novel by the writer Barry Gifford and was the winner of the Palme d'Or in 1990 at the Cannes film festival.

It's a story, in the form of road movie, whose main ingredients are: a crazy love story and a road trip.

Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern play Sailor Ripley and Lula Fortune, a couple who escape in search of happiness. To do this, they flee from the girl's mother, who has hired a hitman to kill Sailor.

In this film you can find references to The Wizard of Oz (1939) by Victor Fleming and a parody of the Elvis Presley films.

6. Twin Peaks: Fire walks with me (1992)

This fiction is a prequel to the television series Twin peaks (1990), also highly recommended within the director's audiovisual work.

The film has been little appreciated by critics and by the series' loyal fans, but it is nonetheless essential.

Its plot revolves around the investigation into the murder of young Teresa Banks and the last days of the life of Laura Palmer, a high school student, in the fictional town of Twin Peaks.

Although its premiere was a failure after the cancellation of the series, Twin Peaks: Fire walks with me It is a hypnotic film, fierce and, perhaps, a darker and more nurturing version than the series that contains memorable scenes.

7. Lost Highway (1997)

After the phenomenon of Twin peaks Lost Highway is released. A film that is close to the genre of thriller psychological with hints of film noir. This time the film convinced the critics, however, it did not stand out on a commercial level.

It tells the story of a musician from jazz, Fred Madison, and his wife Renee. His relationship is not going through its best moment and he believes that his wife is cheating on him. He after he is accused of having murdered her.

On the other hand, a parallel story is presented that has as its protagonist a mechanic (Fred Maddison), who has an affair with a woman who is unfaithful to his partner.

Lynch's cinema is characterized by its complexity. This film goes to show why his films are classified as cult cinema. If his early works stand out for their surrealist influence, in this film he delves into a world in which the subconscious and parallel worlds reign.

8. A true story (1999)

In the late 1990s, David Lynch turned his filmography upside down with a story based on true events.

Its plot revolves around an old man, Alvin Straight, whose goal is to travel more than 400 miles on a lawnmower to reconcile.

It is a film that contains a very attractive visual language in which the landscape becomes the protagonist. It also stands out for having a simple structure that reveals a story as emotional as it is hopeful.

9.Mulholland Drive (2001)

Although it was intended as a pilot for a television series in the late 1990s, it ultimately turned out to be a suitable story for the big screen.

It is the director's ninth film and is, according to critics, his best film. So much so, that it was awarded as the best film of the 21st century in a poll conducted by the BBC.

Betty Elms is a young woman who wants to be an actress and comes to Los Angeles with the intention of fulfilling her dream. There he lives with his aunt and soon meets Rita, a woman suffering from amnesia.

Apparently it seems like a common story, however, the director uses it as a basis to involve the viewer in a game that is an emotional roller coaster.

On the other hand, it re-mixes the world of dreams and reality, even making us reflect on whether what we have just seen is part of reality or the dream world. The answer only appears at the end of the movie.

10. Inland empire (2006)

It's a thriller psychological with a complex structure. It is a haunting film and, as in most of Lynch's films, it is not easy to understand at the time of viewing.

It tells the story of an actress whose perception of reality is becoming distorted. Thus, during the film, scenes appear that seem more typical of the world of the subconscious divided into different story levels with no apparent connection between them.

A tape of almost three hours and one of the most indecipherable in his complex cinematic universe.

David Lynch Biography

David Lynch was born on January 20, 1946 in Montana (Missoula, USA). His artistic activity has not only developed in the cinematographic field as a director, screenwriter, actor and producer, but also extends into other disciplines such as music, painting or Photography. He is undoubtedly an artist with capital letters.

The son of an American scientist and a teacher, Lynch spent a quiet childhood in a middle-class family. During his youth he showed interest in painting, which led him to travel to Europe to study; however, he soon returned to the United States without completing them.

It was not until 1970 when Lynch decided to focus his career on the seventh art with the film The grandmother, his debut film. From that moment on, David moved to Los Angeles to receive classes at the Americam Film Institute Conservatory.

His work has been closely linked to currents such as surrealism, of which the director himself declares himself an unconditional admirer. His cinema has also drawn on artists such as Stanley Kubrick, Federico Fellini, the writer Franz Kafka or the painter Francis Bacon.