Born January 20th, 1946, and passing away January 15th, 2025, famed director David Lynch led a long life and career of artistic experimentation. Perhaps best known for his work on the 90’s crime drama Twin Peaks, every piece of media that Lynch touched bore his peculiar avant garde artistry. In fact, over the course of his career, his distinct visual style and storytelling approach earned the aesthetic moniker, “Lynchian.”
To be “Lynchian” in nature means to bear dream-like imagery, and to juxtapose the strange, sinister, and supernatural against the normal, average, and mundane. This is perhaps the best way one may go about describing Lynch’s own catalogue of television and movies.
One of his earliest successes came through the film Eraserhead, which released in 1977. It details the story of Henry Spencer whose girlfriend gives birth to what may only be described as a mutant baby. Though that plot may sound strange to begin with, the visuals displayed throughout the film take the viewer on an almost cosmic journey through the surreal and horrible. It was panned by many critics at its release but had a profound impact on directors like Stanley Kubrick and Mel Brooks, the latter of which handpicked Lynch to direct The Elephant Man in 1970.
In many ways, Lynch’s film career was a continual development upon the ideas he introduced in his first few projects. One of the biggest opportunities for success came with his 1984 adaption of Dune, which was largely panned by critics as well when it was released. Considered a commercial failure, it was also panned by Lynch himself who saw the film as the one time he had “sold out.” Despite this, there is simply no denying that it still possesses all the hallmarks of “Lynchianism.”
Throughout the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s, he released some of his most famous films, including Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive. Despite how the movies may have performed with critics or audiences at the time, each eventually took on cult-like status. These films possess a surreal neo-noir flare, and could not have been created by any director other than David Lynch.
In 1999, Lynch released The Straight Story, which was surprisingly circulated by Walt Disney, and rated G. It was also the first movie from Lynch that famed film critic Roger Ebert gave a positive review to—in fact, he gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, despite Lynch calling it his most experimental work. In it, the main character, Alvin, drives an old John Deere tractor 240 miles to visit his estranged brother in an attempt to make amends before they die.
Of course, Lynch’s most famous work is the television series Twin Peaks. In it, Agent Dale Cooper investigates the murder of a teenage girl. Filled with scenes that are equally as puzzling as they are surreal, the episodes specifically directed by Lynch are fondly remembered as the fan-favorites. When the show returned for a sequel about twenty-five years after it originally aired, it continued where the original series had left off and left a remarkable impression upon viewers as Lynch put to screen his artistic vision for the characters and story.
There is no doubt that his filmography has been quite instrumental for many modern directors and will likely continue to be studied for decades to come. For artists, his life is a testament to the importance of remaining true to what one imagines they desire to create. Films, paintings, books, video games, and music have all been influenced by Lynch’s works.
But, for the Christian, there is one incredibly important take away from Lynch’s life: the good, true, and beautiful are experienced best by the Christian. In fact, it is only the Christian, with a worldview influenced by the Bible, who can create art that meets these three criteria. While experimentation is important in filmmaking, art and real life only make sense in light of the Word of God.
