Lost HighwayWhen you look in the mirror, who do you see? Is it who you are...or who you wish to be? Do you see the real darkness inside, or do you pretend it isn't there? These are the hard questions, and we often ignore them because of it, because the answers frighten us. Lost Highway is a film which--in its guts--is about confronting the darkness within, but not necessarily about any kind of success or failure in this, but it is about the knowledge that there is a devil within each of us which we pretend isn't there, something--someone--we invite in...to avoid the guilt of our transgressions, to free us of the burden of consequence, and to let us "remember things our own way." And yet there is still a point where we run out of road.
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Filmmaker David Lynch casts these shadows on the wall, the story of Fred (Bill Pullman), a musician in a strained relationship with his beautiful wife, Renee (Patricia Arquette). But this is just the first piece of the puzzle to follow--and like many of David Lynch's mysteries, the pieces are revealed one at a time, though not necessarily in an interconnected way. In fact, even when the picture becomes a little more clear, it is never crystal, because that would spoil the fun. Is Renee unfaithful? Certainly Fred seems to believe so, and his perception is changed by his fear, and that fear allows for the darkness to creep in, which manifests in a profound way in his very apartment. Fred must have better lighting in his abode than we are led to believe, but his residence is drenched in shadow, with engulfing corridors of pitch black stretching into infinity; and this is how the devil gets in. Maybe the "Mystery Man" (Robert Blake) is not the "devil" per se...but if he isn't, he is certainly something foreign to our plane of existence, even if he is just a part of Fred's mind given form. The mystery man approaches Fred at a party, cajoles him, and indicates that he is responsible for the unnerving video tapes left on his doorstep, and that he was "invited" in by Fred. But why would Fred invite someone with a penchant for portable electronics and a disdain for eyebrows into his home, "charming" though he may be? Because Fred is filled with jealousy, anger, and resentment, and believes his wife is cheating on him, but cannot take personal responsibility to actualize his rage--so the devil does it for him. And so it follows for the rest of the film, a long delusion which goes on into the realm of deep, hypnotic psychosis, to the point where it is no longer clear just what is in Fred's mind or what actually happened. But the difference doesn't matter any more--not to Fred--as he swims deeper into the abyss.
Alternately, the flip side of the equation is that Fred is not simply delusional, but that he is being proffered aid by the mystery man, and that the supernatural is real...but that doesn't make it easily understood. If the mystery man does what we think he does--allow for Fred to become Pete (Balthazar Getty), a young, but gifted, mechanic who is supplanted in his stead in solitary confinement--then the reasons for this transformation are both inscrutable and abstract. It is said the devil works in mysterious ways...or maybe I remembered that my own way, too. And from here, the story follows Pete, who occasionally works on short fuse gangster Mr. Eddy's/Dick Laurent's (Robert Loggia) Mercedes 6.9, only to find himself getting surreptitiously involved with his moll, Alice (also Patricia Arquette). Just as the yellow lines on the highway run parallel, so to are the stories in this film. Certainly, Renee appears more passive in the story from the onset, but then comes Alice's introduction, heralded by my favorite of cover songs, Lou Reed's take on "This Magic Moment"; and indeed, this magic moment signifies that behind Fred's/Pete's inner demons is the femme fatale which spurs them both into dangerous action. Between Fred/Pete, Renee/Alice, and Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent, there is a predominance of double identities in Lost Highway, where people appear to have two sides, which show up at different points depending on what they want and how they want to get it. Maybe this is the message which the mystery man is trying to show Fred, that either he is not unique in his situation of being toyed with by a beautiful woman, or that he is afraid of his terrible feelings, so that he is transformed into another--even here, he is passively involved in the events Alice guides him into. Lost Highway is set in Hollywood, and its influences show in Alice, a starlet who seduces Pete to gain his allegiance to commit a crime, not unlike in Double Indemnity, which by its title is also a thematic mirror to the theme of duplicity in this film. Another favorite, Vertigo, is referenced, as Patricia Arquette plays a double role--two differing personality types--meant to manipulate the male lead into a condemning course of action. There are no doubt more Hollywood references in Lost Highway, but these underscore the idea that the film is aware of its location in the land of illusion, where the artifice becomes the reality; why else would the devil be such a fan of carrying a camcorder?
Recommended for: Fans of a dark, psychological thriller which creeps under the skin and lurks in the shadows. It is an uncomfortable film because it posits that Pete is not a hero, but the film treats him in the same fashion as a "wrongfully accused". Also, the spectacular soundtrack is a delight, inexorably bound to the film.
Alternately, the flip side of the equation is that Fred is not simply delusional, but that he is being proffered aid by the mystery man, and that the supernatural is real...but that doesn't make it easily understood. If the mystery man does what we think he does--allow for Fred to become Pete (Balthazar Getty), a young, but gifted, mechanic who is supplanted in his stead in solitary confinement--then the reasons for this transformation are both inscrutable and abstract. It is said the devil works in mysterious ways...or maybe I remembered that my own way, too. And from here, the story follows Pete, who occasionally works on short fuse gangster Mr. Eddy's/Dick Laurent's (Robert Loggia) Mercedes 6.9, only to find himself getting surreptitiously involved with his moll, Alice (also Patricia Arquette). Just as the yellow lines on the highway run parallel, so to are the stories in this film. Certainly, Renee appears more passive in the story from the onset, but then comes Alice's introduction, heralded by my favorite of cover songs, Lou Reed's take on "This Magic Moment"; and indeed, this magic moment signifies that behind Fred's/Pete's inner demons is the femme fatale which spurs them both into dangerous action. Between Fred/Pete, Renee/Alice, and Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent, there is a predominance of double identities in Lost Highway, where people appear to have two sides, which show up at different points depending on what they want and how they want to get it. Maybe this is the message which the mystery man is trying to show Fred, that either he is not unique in his situation of being toyed with by a beautiful woman, or that he is afraid of his terrible feelings, so that he is transformed into another--even here, he is passively involved in the events Alice guides him into. Lost Highway is set in Hollywood, and its influences show in Alice, a starlet who seduces Pete to gain his allegiance to commit a crime, not unlike in Double Indemnity, which by its title is also a thematic mirror to the theme of duplicity in this film. Another favorite, Vertigo, is referenced, as Patricia Arquette plays a double role--two differing personality types--meant to manipulate the male lead into a condemning course of action. There are no doubt more Hollywood references in Lost Highway, but these underscore the idea that the film is aware of its location in the land of illusion, where the artifice becomes the reality; why else would the devil be such a fan of carrying a camcorder?
Recommended for: Fans of a dark, psychological thriller which creeps under the skin and lurks in the shadows. It is an uncomfortable film because it posits that Pete is not a hero, but the film treats him in the same fashion as a "wrongfully accused". Also, the spectacular soundtrack is a delight, inexorably bound to the film.