Remembering David Lynch
More than a year after his death, Felix reviews some of the most memorable films of legendary director, David Lynch
It’s not easy to summarise David Lynch’s career in a couple hundred words; he was a singular director, writer, creative mind, and not an easy man to put in a box. Created by one of the most distinctive, lauded filmmakers of the 20th and 21st centuries, Lynch’s ten feature films – and one revelatory TV series – encompass an uncompromising, inspired body of work. His craft is not for the literal-minded or easily spooked. It’s weird on the surface and even stranger if you allow yourself to sink in.
Essential to his storytelling is the dark side of nature, twisting everyday terrains into visceral, disturbing experiences, usually accompanied by a subtle but disquieting soundtrack. Lynch takes his viewers on journeys deep inside themselves, unearthing primal desires – a manifestation of his dedication to delving into the subconscious and “catching the big fish”. Lynch’s fascination with Americana is evident in the fact that only two of his films are set outside the United States. His blend of Boy Scout charm (he literally reached the rank of Eagle Scout) and deeply disquieting propensities led The Elephant Man executive producer, Mel Brooks, to dub him “Jimmy Stewart from Mars.” A colourful description, but one I would say is misleading. Rather than being some extraterrestrial, Lynch, whose otherness doesn’t come from the outside, is more accurately an intra-terrestrial with all the uniqueness that drives his genius coming from within.
A year after his death in January 2025, he is as much of a pop-culture icon as ever. His creative vision is still being honoured all around the world, from the performances of the music from Eraserhead and Twin Peaks by Xiu Xiu at the Institute of Contemporary Art to the showing of all his films at the British Film Institute. His memory has not been forgotten; as Lynch himself had said, “I believe life is a continuum, and that no one really dies, they just drop their physical body, and we’ll all meet again”.
Grace Murray
Grace Murray
Grace Murray
Prithvi Shree Shankar
Arnav Goel
