Celebrating the Life of David Lynch at Cinestudio

Hannah Smith ’26

Executive Entertainment Editor

Every Friday at 7 p.m. during the month of March, Cinestudio will be honoring the life and art of David Lynch, the renowned director, writer, actor and visual artist who recently passed away in January.

Lynch, known for his surreal, mystifying, and completely unique filmic style has influenced generations of artists since the release of his first feature film “Eraserhead” back in 1977. Over the next 10 years, he continued to write and direct “The Elephant Man,” “Dune” and “Blue Velvet” one after the other with only a few years in between each release. In 1990, Lynch launched the first episode of “Twin Peaks,” a two-season television show of his creation that is largely considered some of his best work. 

On March 7, Cinestudio showed “Blue Velvet” starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern and Dennis Hopper. The film revolves around college student Jeffrey  (MacLachlan) who begins investigating a suspicious crime alongside a detective’s daughter (Dern) after he finds a severed ear in the middle of a field in his hometown. He fears the elusive lounge singer Dorathy (Rossellini) might be involved and he finds himself tangled in her dark web.

On March 14, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” will be playing. It depicts the final days of Laura Palmer’s (Sheryl Lee) life before her horrific murder, a murder that brings Special Agent Dale Cooper to the quiet town of Twin Peaks where our story begins. Based on the show “Twin Peaks,” this film acts as a prequel, giving audiences and fans of the series even more information to decode, digging them further and further down the Lynchian rabbit hole of unanswered questions.

“Inland Empire” will be playing on March 21. Actress Nikki, played by Laura Dern, begins to blend her and her character’s lives after being cast in a new film until she takes on the entire persona of her fictional doppelganger. 

Your final opportunity to celebrate Lynch’s legacy is with “Mullholland Drive,” one of his most widely admired films. It’s better to go into this film knowing nothing and expecting nothing, but I can promise you, you will absolutely not be disappointed.

David Lynch’s influence on the world of cinema and art itself cannot be understated. His allegiance to counterculture encouraged budding artists from around the world to make outrageous work that never would have made it to mainstream media if not for Lynch. His influence spans across every medium: David Bowie was inspired by “Eraserhead” to write his rock opera “Outside,” “Twin Peaks” inspired the video game “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening,” Steven Speilberg credits him as one of his heroes and the list goes on.

If you’ve already had the pleasure of watching a Lynch film, nows the time to see one of your favorites on the big screen; maybe you’ll even discover something you hadn’t noticed on the first go around. I encourage those of you who have never seen any of Lynch’s work to treat yourself to a cinema experience you’ll never forget, at least not any time soon. There’s quite literally nothing like a David Lynch film. Don’t go in expecting to understand anything. Just let it wash over you and be prepared to leave the theater with a looming sense of unease and amazement.