Despite the Gods

Jennifer Lynch, daughter of cult filmmaker David Lynch, a recovering addict and hard- working single mother, returns to the director's chair with an ambitious project that is to test her skills and the entire crew's sanity. What follows is a document that brings you behind the scenes on the set of Lynch's Bollywood/Hollywood action film about a man- eating snake goddess. Penny Vozniak, the director, is the one responsible for this "behind- the-scenes" madness that witnesses how Lynch slowly loses her grip over a much- extended eight-month shoot. And the result is this crazy journey into the shire madness behind the camera. Among the many setbacks suffered are a technician's strike forcing production to move to Kerala; an 11-day wait for dailies to become available; and cops being called in following complaints about filming at prayer time in a Muslim neighborhood. Showing signs of flagging under pressure, Lynch is told bluntly by producer Menon: "If you can't hack it, quit." A must see.

This is one of the finest documentaries I have seen and I think back on it often. First of all is the concept itself, of an American woman director going to India to direct a killer snake movie. That itself is a movie, nevermind that it was real. The fish out of water quality is really entertaining and watching her work with the Indian crew and Indian stars, in a way that isn't glamorous at all but real. There is a joy to seeing just how talented and natural of a director she is, and how artistic of a life she leads.

Second is what Jennifer Lynch offers us as a screen presence. She is not putting on a character or a persona. All her trust, warmth, and authority make us never doubt she is director. I suspect why most would watch this is, is being in the presence of David Lynch through Jennifer Lynch; his weight on the movie is always there. It is easy to project that she is trying to live up to the expectation of him, but then you wonder. What is driving her to the end of the earth, to India, to do all this? No other director is doing such things. David never made a Bollywood film after all. I think she is cornering her own space here. The absurdity that this movie exists, its making, and its documentary, the whole stunt becomes the art itself.

David Lynch fans do not really know about this movie, but in my view it is just as important as the documentaries directly about him. I still remember moments from the movie years later. Today I woke up learning that David Lynch died and as I sorted through the feeling, the memories of his work over the years, this was also one of the movies I remembered, and how impactful it was for me. It is a real piece of pop art that deserves to be seen a lot more widely.