David Lynch takes us on an intimate journey through the formative years of his 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. As Lynch states "I think every time you do something, like a painting or whatever, you go with ideas and sometimes the past can conjure those ideas and color them, even if they're new ideas, the past colors them.
This dazzling mix of straight documentary and striking visual art makes for a strangely beautiful cinematic experience. Could it be a portrait of alienated America? You don't want to know too much about director Austin Lynch and photographer Matthew Booth's compelling first film before seeing it. It's a visceral piece, better experienced than described.
But here are just a few teasing threads: Denis Lavant opens the film as a lone fisherman on a Texan river. The film then progresses across different spaces, alternating between contemplative sequences and direct interviews. Oil rig workers and women sentenced to life in prison share their experience on solitude and isolation, while the camera hauntingly lingers on architecture and the stark beauty of nature. Alvin Lucier's eerie score pulsates and hypnotises.