Synopsis
“Most of
Lynch’s later films straddle (at least) two realities, and their most ominous moments arise from a dawning awareness that one world is about to cede to another. In
Lost Highway, we are introduced to brooding jazz saxophonist Fred Madison (
Bill Pullman) while he lives in a simmering state of jealousy with his listless and possibly unfaithful wife Renee (
Patricia Arquette). About one hour in, a rupture fundamentally alters the narrative logic of the film and the world itself becomes a nightmare embodiment of a consciousness out of control.
Lost Highway marked a return from the wilderness for
Lynch and the arrival of his more radical expressionism – alternating omnipresent darkness with overexposed whiteouts, dead air with the belligerent soundtrack assault of metal-industrial bands, and the tactile sensations that everything is happening with the infinite delusions of schizophrenic thought.” – Film Society of Lincoln Centre
