David Lynch: The Art Life

An intimate journey through the formative years of [Lynch’s] life. From his idyllic upbringing in small town America to the dark streets of Philadelphia, we follow Lynch as he traces the events that have helped to shape one of cinema’s most enigmatic directors. David Lynch: The Art Life infuses Lynch’s own art, music and early films, shining a light into the dark corners of his unique world, giving audiences a better understanding of the man and the artist.

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  • ★★★★ review by Marian on Letterboxd

    honestly how did david lynch not grow up to be a serial killer

  • ★★★★★ review by 👽 Zara 👽 on Letterboxd

    i like to imagine that david lynch and i are sitting down in a little studio, bits of wood and knick knacks scattered as we work on strange little paintings together as he tells me all about his life experiences and i just intently watch and listen because i've never been more enthralled with a person's life experiences before.

    this film is pretty much the equivalent of the above imagining.

  • ★★★½ review by ☃️Hayden Welch☃️ on Letterboxd

    “When you're doing a painting or whatever... sometimes the past conjures ideas. The past colours them.”

    The Good:

    David Lynch: The Art Life is one of the most visually pleasing documentaries I’ve ever seen. It strays away from the typical interviewer/interviewee formula and gives the audience so much more substance and even when it’s just shots of David Lynch the cinematography is gorgeous and the framing are dynamic. 

    David Lynch has this entrancing and hypnotic way of telling stories, he leaves you wanting to hear more. He has a naturally compelling way of telling telling you about the past.

    There are some really interesting stories that Lynch tells throughout this dream-like documentary. I especially enjoyed when Lynch recalls his experience working on Eraserhead and what that meant to him.

    The Bad:

    I feel like David Lynch: The Art Life only scratches the surface of what art means to David Lynch, you can Lynch is truly passionate about this and the film doesn’t take full advantage of that. It more often takes the biographical route.

    David Lynch: The Art Life has some strange pacing. The film often takes grinding halts which really adds some unnecessary weight to the run time.

    Fun Fact:

    Funded by a Kickstarter campaign. It took several years for completion.

    74/100

    Would Recommend!

  • ★★★½ review by Justin LaLiberty on Letterboxd

    I could listen to David talk about his hatred of school for hours.

    "Powerful hate."

  • ★★★★ review by suzie jenkins pendragon on Letterboxd

    god i love this weird weird old man

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