Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Inland Empire Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 8, 2010

David Lynch's controversial film "Inland Empire" (2006) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an interview with David Lynch conducted by Mike Figgis; Guardian interview at the National Film Theatre with David Lynch; a masterclass with David Lynch shot in France; an interview with David Lynch conducted by French writer Michel Chion; a short interview conducted in London; and the film's original theatrical trailer. In English and Polish, with optional English subtitles only for the Polish dialog. Region-B "locked".

Rabbits

David Lynch’s Inland Empire is one giant puzzle of a film. I think that it is about a young American actress, Nikki Grace (Laura Dern, Wild at Heart), who experiences a strange form of psychosis that irreversibly damages her ability to separate reality from make-believe. At the same time, she attempts to shoot a film in which the character she plays, Susan Blue, is an emotionally disturbed woman whose affair with a married man, Billy Side (Justin Theroux, The Legend of Lucy Keyes), comes to an end. As her condition worsens, Nikki completely loses control of her thoughts and emotions and eventually becomes Susan -- in real life -- causing all sorts of problems for the people around her.

Another theory I have is that Inland Empire is about something much bigger, something a lot more serious. At its core is what most of us regard as faith and then relate to a power some of us refer to as God. (In the film, this power is called the Phantom). Somehow, Nikki enters His world and He immediately notices her. In the beginning, He only observes her and then, before things get out of control, He pulls her plug and she loses her mind. A group of psychiatrists -- the rabbits -- attempt to bring her back but fail, time after time.

Lynch's films are rarely about clear-cut messages and Inland Empire is not an exception. There are a lot of things in it that do not make a whole lot of sense, certainly if one attempts to use conventional logic to deconstruct and understand them, but they do not necessarily have to. Whether one figures out the true identities of the rabbits, or precisely why Nikki loses her mind, is practically irrelevant. I think that what is important is how one reacts to the events taking place on the screen. In other words, Inland Empire works best as an experience, not a conventional film with a conventional narrative.

Shot on digital video, Inland Empire is undoubtedly Lynch's most experimental film since Eraserhead. In it, light, shadow, and color are mixed to produce something quite fascinating and, as many might rightfully argue, quite frustrating. Why? Because one can see what Lynch filmed but one cannot always see in it what he did while working on Inland Empire.

The non-linear structure of the narrative is unusually complex as well. At first, it seems like Nikki’s reality overlaps with that of the character she plays, but later the action moves elsewhere -- at a fluid place between the two realities where it eventually becomes impossible to figure out whether it is Nikki or her character that Lynch's camera follows.

Perhaps the most bizarre piece of the puzzle, however, is the "Polish connection". In the first half, Nikki is visited by one of her new neighbors (Grace Zabriskie, Chain of Desire) who casually informs her that today is tomorrow and that the film she is about to begin shooting is a remake of a Polish film, which was once cursed by gypsies and abandoned by its producers because the actors they hired were killed. What does all of this mean? I do not know. I have another theory that explains the "Polish connection" but it is not a good one.

The cast is excellent. Dern delivers a bold and very convincing performance as the emotionally battered Nikki/Susan. When she begins to lose her mind and finds herself amongst the prostitutes on the streets of Los Angeles, she is at her best. Theroux’s time in front of the camera is limited, but he makes the most of it. Several excellent cameos deserve to be mentioned, too. Jeremy Irons is the enthusiastic director of the film Nikki is shooting. Harry Dean Stanton is his trusted assistant. Julia Ormond plays a seriously disturbed woman who has suddenly realized that she is about to commit a terrible crime.

In 2006, Inland Empire was screened at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Future Film Festival Digital Award (David Lynch).

Inland Empire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, David Lynch's Inland Empire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. Please note that there are no chapter stops for the main feature.

Inland Empire was shot digitally in standard definition and I believe that Optimum Home Entertainment's transfer -- supplied by French distributors Studio Canal -- faithfully reproduces the film's intended look. Considering the inherited source limitations, fine object detail is rather pleasing, especially during close-ups. When the camera moves, however, there is plenty of mild to strong motion judder. Clarity and contrast levels vary quite a bit, particularly during the nighttime scenes. The color scheme is pleasing, and I personally find it to be a lot more convincing than that seen on the R1 DVD release of the film. I would also like to point out that some obvious artifacts that are visible on the R1 DVD are either missing or not as easy to spot on this transfer. For example, when Nikki is visited by her new neighbor early in the film, the image looks cleaner and fresher. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing cuts, splices, or other serious transfer anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is strong and more importantly faithful to the original source presentation of a very unique film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Inland Empire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0 (with small portions of Polish). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. Please note that the English subtitles are available only for the portions of the film where Polish is spoken. The English dialog is not subtitled.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very strong, and easily a good enough reason to recommend purchasing this Blu-ray disc. The bass is potent, the surround channels are not overly active but used wisely, and the high-frequencies not overdone. Furthermore, there are some outstanding ambient effects -- for example, when Nikki discovers the gun -- that benefit enormously from the lossless audio treatment. The dialog is clean and easy to follow.

The LPCM 2.0 track is also convincing. In fact, I was quite surprised to discover how effective it was. The piano solos sound wonderful and so do Krzysztof Penderecki's original compositions. The bass, however, is stronger on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Inland Empire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interview - Guardian interview at the National Film Theatre with David Lynch in which he addresses a wide range of topics, from transcendental meditation to the unique narrative structure of Inland Empire. Mr. Lynch also talks about some of his earlier films, such as Eraserhead and Fire Walk With Me. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

Interview - a short interview with Mr. Lynch in which he recalls how Inland Empire came to exist, his love for Hollywood, making a film for a particular audience, etc. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

Interview with David Lynch and Mike Figgis - another very informative interview. Mr. Lynch's comments on the process of transforming an idea into film are fascinating. This interview also appears on Optimum Home Entertainment's Blu-ray release of The Elephant Man. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

A Masterclass with David Lynch - a fascinating piece shot in France. Here Mr. Lynch explains why he decided to shoot Inland Empire on DV, how the film came to exist, its unique story, its characters, etc. In French and English, with optional English subtitles for the French dialog. (27 min).

Interview - an interview with Mr. Lynch conducted by writer Michel Chion at the Cartier Foundation in Paris, 2007. This interview also appears on Optimum Home Entertainment's Blu-ray release of The Elephant Man. In French and English, with optional English subtitles. (15 min).

Trailer - the trailer for the film (2 min).

Inland Empire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

David Lynch's Inland Empire is undeniably his boldest and most inaccessible film to date. Needless to say, it is everything a Lynch should be. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment, looks and sounds very good. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.