Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Mini Review)

Last night I had a dream after watching this movie. Like most dreams, I forget most details unless I dwell on them. I am sure the dream I had and the details I remember are a consequence of watching this film. I should warn you now that the part of my dream I am about to describe might be unsettling. For some reason I was with one of my dogs at home in the kitchen, playing around with her. Then her eye falls out but it’s not an eyeball. It’s two pieces of Lego. Instantly I feel guilt. Searching all over the floor for the two pieces of Lego, one black, the other white, to put the eye back together. I see the dog with only one eye and I hurry up. Once I find the pieces someone else tries to put the eye back in and it doesn’t work. I am now convinced there is another piece missing but it’s nowhere to be seen. That’s all I can remember about that part of the dream.

What does it all mean? Well, I kinda think this particular dog is a pain in the ass, so do I think she deserved it? Do I think that Lego is essential for life on earth? The dream is probably a mixture of Lynch’s use of dreamlike film language, me being annoyed at this dog all the time and some Freudian stuff. I’m telling you this dream because in many ways it felt like watching Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Lynch is candid about people expressing themselves in ways unbeknownst to themselves. The story isn’t tied together with logic but rather emotion, often uncomfortable and confronting.

A prequel to the hit TV series, Twin Peaks, Lynch tells us the lead up to Laura Palmer, which is the catalyst of the TV series. The first part of the film follows FBI detective Chester Desmond investigating a murder similar to Laura’s but a year before hers happened which is mentioned in the series. Then we follow Laura Palmer in the lead up to her death. View the TV series is essential to the film as a lot of the dynamics between characters is based on the knowledge we receive from the TV show. However, unlike the show, this film is more psychological, more vulgar and flat out more disturbing. The first time I saw Blue Velvet a lot of the violence and sex went over my head (I suspect I saw a censored cut too) but this was my first time watching FWWM and it hit me like Blue Velvet should have the first time around. Some of the sequences in this film are slow but they only add to the horror. We see Laura prostitute herself only for her friend to do the same. This leads into a nightclub of sorts that is tinged with red, constantly has loud music playing and we can only understand what everyone is saying because of subtitles. This scene had me on edge and it wasn’t the most disturbing of the film.

Other scenes that had me either on edge or going “what the fuck” was…

• When the one-armed man confronts Leland Palmer at an intersection,

• When Bobby and Laura are in the forest drinking,

• Laura receives a photo of a door, she hangs it up and it's an integral part to her dream that night,

• And most importantly the last 10 minutes which we see Laura being murdered.

The forest that surrounds the town was always scary to me when I was watching the series. Who knows what goes on in there at night when you can only see meters away from yourself. This is a constant feeling I get when watching anything Twin Peaks related, even when we’re in town.

The film doesn’t feature much of some great actors such as Kyle MacLachlan, David Bowie, and Harry Dean Stanton but it doesn’t take away from the final product. The cast of the TV show is pretty big and it would’ve convoluted the film to include them all.

This film isn’t one of the grand character arcs in the vein of Citizen Kane or The Godfather, especially since we already know how it’s gonna end but it’s how it’s told that’s important. The point this film leaves us emotionally is a confusing one because not everyone will feel the same way but to me it confronted feelings that most ignore. Lynch’s mastery of the combination of sound and visuals to make a gripping psychological thriller that not only defies convention but often logic is one of the most satisfying films I have seen in a long time.

Overall Score: 10/10

Have you seen this movie (or the TV series)?

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Director: David Lynch

Writers: David Lynch & David Engels

Starring: Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Chris Isaak, Moira Kelly, Kiefer Sutherland, Al Strobel, Frank Silva, Grace Zabriskie, David Bowie, Harry Deans Stanton, and David Lynch with Kyle MacLachlan.

Score: Angelo Badalamenti

Cinematography: Ronald García

Editor: Mary Sweeney