Coming off five years since "Mulholland Drive" David Lynch has labored
quite a while using digital photography to craft a three hour foray into the
mind of an actress (Laura Dern) who lands the lead role in a relationship
drama that is supposedly cursed. Also in the film is the leading man (a
strangely labored Justin Theroeux. At least that is how the film starts and
that is who Dern is initially playing. By the second act of the film you
really don't know what you're seeing. Using grainy digital shots seems to add
intrigue to some otherwise mundane scenes and a sitcom sequence, featuring
people dressed as bunnies – it's beyond absurd.

It also won't help that the running time is a tidy and tiring three hours. It
seems Lynch didn't want to hire an editor at times. Still you can't help but
be enthralled by the skill of Dern who can really trick you into
thinking she is another character in the wink of an eye. Kudos as well to
Jeremy Irons in a restrained performance as an obsessed film director.

This should not serve to discourage Lynch from the digital realm but it
is an example of how he should work on the storytelling to present a narrative
that is not so much stuck in his own head, but presentable in the David Lynch
style. And please use an editor!