Inland Empire

Les films de Lynch ont un style d'écriture identique, mais chacun d'entre eux est complètement différent. À l'exception d'"Inland Empire". Celui-ci n'est qu'un assemblage de "lyncheries" déjà prononcées et réussit à embrouiller, culminer et conclure l'histoire. Fondamentalement, il s'agit d'une version plus longue et plus underground de "Mulholland Drive" sans les belles actrices, les scènes sexuelles provocantes, la durée modérée et la captivante esthétique visuelle, remplacée ici par un affreux grain numérique. "Inland Empire" est un navet non fermenté, qui serait mieux placé en DVD aux côtés de la collection de courts métrages du réalisateur. Ou suis-je simplement un fan trop gâté par lui ? (04/09/2007)

Et moi qui pensais que David Lynch ne pouvait plus me surprendre ! J'ai longtemps gardé celui-ci comme le dernier film de lui que je n'avais pas encore vu, et l'attente de l'occasion de voir Inland Empire sur grand écran en valait vraiment la peine. Même si des gens sortaient constamment de la salle et que l'ouverture incessante des portes était un peu dérangeante, j'ai eu une expérience véritablement transcendantale. Impossible de le recommander à qui que ce soit, mais dans le bon état d'esprit, vous avez tous les ingrédients pour vivre une « full David Lynch experience ». [École d'été du cinéma 2024, Uherské Hradiště, Tchéquie] (04/08/2024)

Lynch's surrealist games appeal to me, and in the case of Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway, I did not hesitate to give those films the highest rating. But this time David unpleasantly surprised me. A film should entertain, make you laugh, cry, or provoke, but it should never bore, and no director has given me such a full plate of boredom for a long time. Lynch's traditional puzzles and games completely got out of hand this time, resulting in something unwatchable with an unnecessarily extended runtime. Inland Empire is one of those films that are remarkable primarily for their ratings and comments. The vast majority of reviewers complain about the film, only to then give it at least three stars. Perhaps it's also about conformism... If it wasn't a cult director, but someone unknown and starting out, the film's rating might have hit rock bottom. Overall impression: 20% for the cast and a few, but really only a few, scenes where you can clearly feel the director's touch from better times. (20/09/2010)

Watching David Lynch films in sequence is hell. When I watched Inland Empire again after some time and saw the image from that ugly digital camera, I thought that I just didn’t understand what is so admired about this film. Is it the atmosphere? It’s great, but his previous films are much better. The acting? That is essentially expected. The lack of plot and its fragmentation into scenes that seemingly and eventually really have no connection? Oh, come on, it's Lynch's trademark. What about turning inward? In that case, the title is almost self-explanatory. Unfortunately, it seems to me that Lynch, intoxicated by his ego and his unique worldview, created something that no longer makes sense to understand. I love his movies, but not the ones he made in the new millennium. What I appreciate about the film is the manipulation of sound, which is simply fantastic, but that's a hallmark of every Lynch film. (24/03/2014)

The film certainly cannot be denied having an atmosphere of apprehension and fear of what is to come. That is the hallmark of almost all David Lynch films. Musically, as usual, there is nothing to fault and Laura Dern's performance is great. It's just that the story is so hard to grasp that I get absolutely lost in it and I don't know if I want to wade through it again to get more into the essence of the idea the director wanted to convey. Even though the ending intrigued me, who knows, maybe sometime in the future, under a more suitable alignment of stars, I'll be able to better understand what has remained forbidden to me so far. (26/07/2020)