Twin Peaks - Der Film: Die letzten 7 Tage im Leben der Laura Palmer

This was one of the most critically panned movies of the decade, but only because the world's film critics are too full of their own self-importance to bother watching a masterful TV series like Twin Peaks. All Twin Peaks fans know that this movie is monumental enough to transcend criticism, sure it makes no sense to those who have never seen the TV series, but those people have never lived anyway. Twin Peaks: FWWM, brings a genuine sense of tragic martyrdom to the death of Laura Palmer, as well as being one of the scariest, most surreal and atmospheric movies ever made. Never seen Twin Peaks? Watch the TV series on video first, and then see this incredible prequel.

This remains my favorite of Lynch's "difficult" films of the last decade, which include "Lost Highway" and "Mulholland Dr." Absolutely no one can establish a mood of dread like Lynch, and this film is superlative in this respect. Images, sound design, and Sheryl Lee's near-miraculous performance all contribute to something much closer to a Horror Film than the genre with the actual namesake.

It seems that many fans of the Twin Peaks TV series were very disappointed with this film. I read over and over how "peakies" feel the movie lacks the "quirky, off-beat, kinda funny" tone of the TV series. Well, step back and consider something: the central themes of the movie AND the TV show are 1.) father-daughter incest, 2.) drug addiction, and 3.) murder. I guess we're all pretty desensitized, what with TV shows like "Law and Order" and Jerry Bruckheimer movies all purporting to give us action and thrills that are gritty and hard-bitten.

Lemme tell ya, that stuff ain't gritty and hard-bitten. Rape victims on TV shows are paper-thin stereotypes compared to the Laura Palmer of "Fire Walk With Me." Why? Because Lynch shows us the HORROR, the inescapable, fenced-into-a-corner hysterical inevitableness of a young girl who can't cope with her father's abuse of her, who then turns to drugs and increasingly can't cope with those either, and who finally sees the true tragedy of her life before it's even finished playing out. The wings disappear from the picture.

What "Fire Walk" offers in its portrait of evil and abuse is the full gamut of emotions, not just fear and anger (though there is plenty of that), but also aching, aching sadness, loneliness, abandonment. Lynch did a fairly good job of conveying this within the confines of a TV show with commercials (remember how the first half hour of the pilot was just people crying?), but in the movie he really gets to go town.

Incest and drug abuse are absolutely devastating. This movie is absolutely devastating, and so touches the truth.

Since the first line of TP:FWWM is "Get me Agent Chester Desmond in Fargo, North Dakota," some might argue that I am biased in my praise for one of Lynch's most underrated motion pictures. The truth is, my life has never been the same since the fateful midnight in high school when I experienced Eraserhead for the first time. TP:FWWM was savaged by most critics, who are unlikely ever to laud the unconventional Lynch again (unless he makes another film that connects like Blue Velvet). Few other filmmakers have had the ability to depict so tangibly the intangibility of our dreams and the worlds contained therein. Couple this with Lynch's corner on the "uncanny" market, and you have TP:FWWM, a film impossible to confuse with any other. My only complaint concerns the absence of Ben and Audrey Horne, who were such interesting and engaging characters on the television series.

I had heard much about the cult television series "Twin Peaks", and decided to buy the First Season on DVD. When I found that none of the stores near me had it in stock, I decided to pick up the movie instead. In some ways, this was good. In some, it was bad. Let me explain ...

In 1991, "Twin Peaks" was canceled. Immediately popular director David Lynch, who also created and wrote most of the show, said that he wasn't finished with the show yet ... and set to work making a movie that would close off the "Twin Peaks" phenomenon. "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" - this film - is the result, a 135 minute journey into a realm where insanity and madness reign supreme.

"Fire Walk With Me" is a prequel to "Twin Peaks". The first thirty minutes deal with two FBI agents, Chester Desmond (Chris Isaak) and Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland), who are investigating the murder of a young girl in the small town of Twin Peaks. Just when Desmond seems to have a suspect, we fade out and find that we are months later. From there, the film follows the events leading up to the mysterious death of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), which the series focused on. Kyle MacLachlan has some screen time as the series' main character, Dale Cooper.

This is probably the hardest film to review in the world. First of all, let me say that if you aren't a fan of "Twin Peaks" or of David Lynch, you will be lost shortly after the film begins. This movie was created solely for "Twin Peaks" lovers, and if you haven't seen the show, the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer is unveiled in this movie.

If ever there has been a movie that is pure insanity, it is this. "Fire Walk With Me" is one-hundred percent madness. And yet, throughout the whole film, I was completely mesmerized. And when the movie ended, I couldn't speak or do anything for about an hour. This movie truly has an effect on you, whether you're a fan of the show or not.

The cast is terrific, but it's David Lynch and Angelo Baladamenti who steal the show. Lynch is either a madman or a genius - I can't decide between the two. But Baladamenti is certainly a master composer, because his score for this film is beautiful.

Seeing is believing. That fits perfectly from this film. Perhaps after I watch the show, I will better understand this film. Until then, I can just say that it the most indescribable, frightening, mesmerizing, and astonishing film I've ever seen.

David Lynch's prequel to his TV Show 'Twin Peaks' drowns the viewer into the psyche of Laura Palmer, who was a crucial enigma of the series (but then again, 'Twin Peaks' is full of enigmas and riddles). The darkness of the human mind has been a consistent theme in many of Lynch's works. Other more recent examples include 'Mulholland Drive' and 'Inland Empire'. 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' is brutal, stark, graphic and horrifyingly disturbing.

'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' may not be as technically 'polished' as Lynch's other films and the low budget shows (but is not bothersome at all). Yet, the closeups have a very strong effect as it provides some evidence of fine acting. Sheryl Lee is at the centre of the film and she is astonishingly superb. Someone should give this actress more roles. Ray Wise, Moira Kelly, Kyle Mclachlan and the rest of the supporting cast are of note. The visuals, even though this is during the pre-CGI boom, are mesmerizing. And of course, what would a Lynch film be without symbolism. They are plentiful but I won't give my interpretation as they are best discovered first hand.

Many feel that the story is inconsistent but to me it all fits well together. Towards the end it is depressing, as the viewer has witnessed all the layers of Laura's agony in detail. It is not a comfortable film to watch. After all, she was just a normal American teenager who has experienced the worst of life and this movie grips the viewer and shows her life breaking into irreparable pieces. Yet, given the heavy theme 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' is a film worth experiencing, especially for fans of the series and Lynch's other works.