Director, writer and producer, David Lynch became synonymous with the uncanny and has had a potent influence on cinema and modern art. He was sort of weird and eccentric for certain – his works stand alone in the genre of dream-like reality and will be remembered with distinction.
On Jan. 15, 2024, Lynch passed away just days before his 79th birthday, about six months after his emphysema diagnosis.
Lynch was born in 1946 in Missoula, Montana. He attended multiple art schools before making his film debut with the 1977 film “Eraserhead,” which took inspiration from his real-life experiences. “Eraserhead” follows Henry, a man living in an industrial-style apartment, and Mary X, Henry’s old fling. When Mary falls pregnant, Henry marries her and has her move in with him. And because the cinematic world of Lynch calls for unsettling, unpredictable and unanswerable twists and turns, Mary gives birth to a strange lizard-like creature that never stops weeping. The film also includes characters like a disfigured woman who lives inside Henry’s radiator.
“Eraserhead” has a distinct arc of success from being initially judged as too weird to be released to finally being distributed and gaining the attention of actor and comedian Mel Brooks. Brooks then collaborated on Lynch’s second mainstream film, “The Elephant Man.”
As the public and other Hollywood cinephiles alike began to find Lynch’s works more and more interesting, his success turned into admiration and influence. “Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive,” “Lost Highway” and the “Twin Peaks” franchise are just a handful of Lynch’s masterful works.
His unique visions of weirdness and artfulness attracted several actors and actresses. The 1986 film “Blue Velvet” depicts a scene of Dorothy Vallens, played by a young Isabella Rossellini, in full frontal nude. As the daughter of respected actress Ingrid Bergman, Rossellini is a reputable actress herself in both American and European films. Lynch’s film process became a trusted aspect of his career, trusted enough to have actors feel comfortable doing full frontal nudity.
Lynch had a special relationship with actor Kyle MacLachlan, or “Kale” as Lynch would also call him. MacLachlan frequently worked with Lynch on projects. Films “Blue Velvet” and “Dune,” as well as the “Twin Peaks” franchise, all feature MacLachlan in leading roles. MacLachlan dedicated a post to Lynch on Instagram the day after his passing. He spoke of the opportunities Lynch provided him as a blossoming young actor.
In this post, MacLachlan reflected on his relationship with Lynch both as his director and his friend. He wrote, “His love for me and mine for him came out of the cosmic fate of two people who saw the best things about themselves in each other.”
Lynch was known for his enigmatic films, but he was also known as someone who was true to himself.
“I always found him to be the most authentically alive person I’d ever met,” MacLachlan wrote.
Lynch had some things about life truly figured out. He was someone who was in tune with his visions – possibly unanswerable visions – and someone who created some of the most meaningful meaningless art.
MacLachlan wrote, “David, I remain forever changed, and forever your Kale. Thank you for everything.”
