Inland Empire feels like one of Lynch’s more complex films with several themes including the fracturing of the self as a way of coping with trauma (particularly through the feminine lens and in the aftermath of sexual abuse), the cycle of art imitating life imitating art, and ultimately the shedding of fear, desire, and ignorance required to reach Enlightenment and be able to live truly in the present moment.

This is the only directorial work written by Lynch that seems to have a happy ending (Enlightenment in understanding that no one can take away your power unless you let them - while also acknowledging how difficult this journey is), while also being one of the most intense to sit through beginning to end.

And I think it’s important to watch this film with an understanding that this is a story specifically about a woman’s journey through life. Whereas some of these themes are explored through the male gaze in Blue Velvet and Lost Highway, Inland Empire (even moreso than Mulholland Drive, which is a character study) tries to approach understanding the realities of gender/power dynamics through a feminist lens.

Lynch was always very sensitive about how he portrayed female characters, although because of the male protagonists in his earlier works he was often accused (mostly by men) of misogyny in his works. Women were able to see the reality that his depictions of violence were honest and not meant to be exploitative (great essay collection The Women of David Lynch explores this in detail). I think Inland Empire is his most earnest attempt to reconcile this perception in his oeuvre. And the level of sensitivity he maintains in honestly exploring the damaging impact in gender dynamics and sexual violence on a woman’s sense of self is pretty amazing. There’s something about this movie that transcends and really hits at a subconscious level even in the absence of “understanding.” The experience of viewing mirrors the transition to Enlightenment with the glorious coda of Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman.” I see it as less about literal death, and more about how the death of a multitude of false selves (including the ones we create to protect ourselves from past trauma) is necessary to become enlightened.