Absurda

Absurda (2007)

*** (out of 4)

This two minute film was directed by the one and only David Lynch and was originally shown at the Cannes Film Festival. A group of people are sitting in a theater watching a movie when one realizes that the woman on the screen is her. She talks about how what she's watching is a nightmare she's been having and it appears to be coming real. ABSURDA isn't a masterpiece or anything close to that but it's a fairly interesting film that might actually work well as a feature. I thought this short at least managed to have that certain atmosphere that only Lynch can create and I think the nightmare vision is nicely put onto the screen. The movie also manages to tell its story is a rather neat way and I liked how we never actually see the people in the theater and can just go by what they're saying. Lynch fans should enjoy this one.

Lynch's more modern shorts are often hit or miss with most people, while I at least LIKE almost all of them (and, occasionally, I may even fall in total LOVE with another), and "Absurda" definitely fits this category of "modern Lynch shorts that I LIKE" (which is a very small and specific area in my mental cinematic treasury). The acting is pretty poor, but Lynch sometimes does use bad performances to his advantage in order to add to the overall surrealism of the piece, and sometimes this works totally in his favor (some of the acting in "Twin Peaks: The Return: The Third Season: A Limited Event Series" is noticeably "off" and it totally adds to the atmosphere in the show), but, here, it doesn't really do that. Otherwise, the visuals are extremely unique and oddly appealing, if disturbing and unsettling. It's very Lynchian and works as another one of his attempts to capture the look and feel of an actual dream or nightmare on screen. I must say, "Absurda" does oddly resemble a dream in the closest of ways. It has the same logic, flow, look, and sound of many dreams I can remember having, even if it is not exactly a perfect replica of these dreams just yet.