Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Undoubtedly one of David Lynchâs most popular creations (if not his best) was the network TV show Twin Peaks, a series that utilized Lynchâs trademark oddball style in the format of a prime time soap opera, featuring a slew of very weird characters (played by some very respectable actors) and an off kilter storyline centering around what could be called a beautiful enigma: Laura Palmer, All American teenage girl and Homecoming Queen, whose recently murdered corpse being unearthed was the subject of the showâs first episode, and as time went on with the FBI investigation into the case, we would all find out just what kind of a seedy, multilayered life that this girl had indeed led prior to her tragic death, having had connections of some kind to almost everybody in the town and surrounding area, many of whom could kindly be said to have been the unsavory type. The show caused a scandalous sensation upon its premiere, with the story points and characters (especially Laura) being on the tips of American viewersâ tongues nationwide, but what may have been even more appealing for many people was that when the show introduced supernatural elements into the mix in relation to Lauraâs death, it also put forth the idea that the FBI (as embodied by Kyle MacLachlanâs Special Agent Dale Cooper) was fully aware of the concept of alternate realities and fantastical happenings, and Cooper (with his apparent precognitive abilities and otherworldly presence) was able to deal with such events in full stride as that which befits a representative of The United States Government. The series would lose steam going into its second season (especially after the killer was revealed) and finally be canceled at the end of it, but Lynch pressed on, announcing that he was starting work on a theatrical movie of Peaks. Fans rejoiced, but what Lynch gave us instead was something that had pleased very few, as instead of continuing the series (which had ended in a cliffhanger), he chose to give us a prequel of all things depicting events that had occurred before the show, a move which annoyed many but actually did serve a higher purpose. Mainly, Lynch wanted to dig full bore into the story of Laura Palmer herself, showing us the last full week of her life while bringing in Sheryl Lee (who had played the dead Palmer as well as her lookalike cousin on the show) to be the main star in what remains a harrowing performance to this day that is said to have taken such an emotional toll on the actress herself that she suffered the aftereffects of health problems for years afterwards. The film itself, brilliant as it is, actually works twofold, as it incorporates all the familiar Twin Peaks trademarks (including the iconic theme music) into its narrative structure (even as several actors and characters from the show are left out) and secondly (and most importantly) it can actually be seen as a metaphorical horror movie about how the cumulative effects of sexual abuse, drug addiction, and incest from an early age all winds up destroying a gorgeous, inherently sweet, young teenage girl who seemingly should have had everything going for her in her life, and instead was just madly spiraling out of control into an inevitable crash and burn scenario, and with Leeâs Laura finally front and center, we get exactly that, with the actress going off on all cylinders to portray Lauraâs suicidal, nihilistic state, engaging in heavy cocaine use, prostitution, having multiple boyfriends (including a genuinely âgoodâ one played by James Marshall) and a father who at first glance would appear to be kindhearted but is really done in by his harboring an insatiable lust for his little girl (and having a proclivity for young, teenage girls in general) and as played by Ray Wise, is every bit the tortured soul that his daughter is, albeit while still being able to stay more reserved in his demeanor. The opening scenes of the movie throw us off a bit, as another, completely different girl has been found murdered, and the memorably hard of hearing FBI chief (Lynch himself) calls in two agents who are completely unfamiliar to us played by Chris Isaak and Kiefer Sutherland (doing his best bumbling nerd act) to investigate her death. After they collect some pieces of info and we get a Harry Dean Stanton cameo, the Isaak character literally vanishes into thin air (while Sutherland is never heard from or referred to ever again) which finally brings MacLachlanâs Cooper into the mix, albeit in an abbreviated role since MacLachlan declined to do a full lead performance, instead just popping in and out of the film as needed to further the story along (along with a bizarre, out of left field even by Lynch standards cameo by David Bowie as a long lost agent apparently unstuck in time) as Lee and (and to a lesser extent) Wise are the ones who are really carrying the film. Of course, as this is a horror film about one girlâs trauma from sexual abuse and incest sending her spiraling into uncontrollable self destructive behavior, keep in mind of the heavy use of metaphors here as expressed by supernatural forces and beings from a place called The Black Lodge, a kind of alternate dimension populated by such types as The Woodsman (Jurgen Prochnow), The Man From Another Place (midget actor Michael J. Anderson), A One Armed Man (Philip Strobel), and most frighteningly, BOB (Frank Silva), a demonic looking, long haired, snarling creature whom, if the logic is to be believed, is really the one most responsible for Lauraâs immense suffering. All of this is played out against the backdrop of the idyllic Pacific Northwest small town, where Laura would appear to be the model of teenage perfection but her actual pain is as such that her deathwish is hugely evident, whether it be through screwing her local high school drug dealer (Dana Ashbrook) in order to get some coke, or worse, heading up to some sleazy shack roadhouse bar on the Canadian border where her pimp (Walter Olkewicz) hooks her up with random scumbags in exchange for money, which results in a severe wake up call for her when her pristine best friend (Moira Kelly replacing Lara Flynn Boyle from the series) follows her out there and gets caught up in the sexual hijinks too (resulting in a rare Moira Kelly nude scene). All along as the horror becomes more and more all too real (and goes way beyond the boundaries of what would be considered allowable on network TV) we start to realize that the film in Lynchâs hands becomes less like a very special episode of Peaks itself and more like a dark, terrifying journey into the mind, psyche, and inner soul of Laura herself, with Lee (giving a performance that in some circles is thought of as being one of the best ever by any actress) drawing us in every step of the way as she literally rockets towards her impending demise (despite the obvious hopes of the Marshall character to âsaveâ her), so much so that many have found the film to be completely unnerving, unsettling, and just plain uncomfortable to watch, but as it is, it makes for an effective sidebar for the series while on its own, serves as a bloodchilling cautionary tale that pulls no punches whatsoever, showing us a beautiful young girl so awfully screwed up in the head that she actually somehow manages to find some measure of redemption in death itself if in nothing else than as an escape from her neverending pain and torment. In the end, a film that should be thought of firstly as being an hallucinogenic horror movie that dares to go places which most fear to tread, and secondly as being the defining cinematic version of the quirkiest of all major classic TV showsâŚ
9/10