Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)

There seems to be a coherent thread tying all of David Lynch's films together. Now, I've only seen a few of them. Eraserhead. Blue Velvet. Mulholland Dr. Inland Empire. Yet all three have something to do with dreams. Something I am highly intrigued by.

So, the plot is this; Jeffrey, a young college student, comes back home to work at the family hardware store because his father has been injured (it appears he took a nasty fall and/or came down with an extreme illness.) On his way from the hospital to his home he stumbles upon an ear. A very icky-looking ear crawling with ants. Jeffrey decides to take the ear to a neighborhood friend who also happens to be the local detective of Lumberton.

Detective Williams tells Jeff he was right in bringing him the ear and that he wants him to show him exactly where he found the ear. Later that night Jeffrey decides to go to the detectives house to discuss the ear. Unfortunately Det. Williams tells him that he isn't at liberty to tell him anything about that case, but that once it is all wrapped up they can discuss it.

As Jeffrey is leaving Sandy, the detectives daughter, calls to him and walks out of the darkness and into the light. I imagine this is some sort of foreshadowing by Lynch. She tells Jeffrey that she hears things about her father's cases and she suspects that the ear may have something to do with some lady named Dorothy Vallens. They decide to walk over to Dorothy's apartment.

The next day Jeffrey pulls up to her school and takes her to the local diner to tell her he has a plan to sneak into Dorothy's place dressed as a pest control worker. The plan ends up working out despite a few hitches, this allows Jeffrey to sneak in later on. Once inside he is almost caught when he fails to hear Sandy warning him with his car's horn because he was pissing in the bathroom due to the Heineken he drank earlier.

This is where the film dips into the surreal that is so common for Lynch. Prior to this scene, the film was a coherent depiction of life in Lumberton USA. After this scene the life that Jeffrey knew previously is ripped apart. His beliefs are questioned. I think my favorite line takes place right before Jeffrey goes to sneak into the building. Sandy-I can't figure out if you're a detective or a pervert. Jeffery-Well, that's for me to know and you to find out.

A shot that stood out to me was when Jeffery is inside of the closet looking out through the screen door, it is an obvious homage to Psycho (1960). It stood out to me because this scene is obviously referenced in Burn After Reading (2008). While Jeffery is in the closet we get our first encounter of one of the greatest movie villains ever. Frank Booth.

I like Frank for two reasons:
1. Heineken? Fuck that Shit! PABST BLUE RIBBON!
2. Where's my bourbon?!