Blue Velvet (1986)

 

Well, trust David Lynch to turn a sort-of detective mystery into a fever dream of a film. But that's why you either love or hate the man's work. It is never exactly as you would expect at face value, and it makes twists and turns that create something pretty surreal at times. And this film isn't one of his more outlandish efforts. 

It is, however, an atmospheric dreamscape that at its core is surprisingly easy to follow.

We're dropped into somewhere pretty standard in the US, one of those quaint towns of which there is an abundance. This one happens to be called Lumberton because - you guessed it - their main 'industry' is lumber. 

I shudder to think there's a town called 'Gas' or 'Farts' where their core business is growing onions, though I wouldn't be surprised.

In walks college kid Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle McLachlan). He discovers a severed human ear which he delivers to the local police, but his interest is piqued. Well, it is a boring town otherwise, so I guess nearly anything will get you curious. With a little help from the police officer's daughter Sandy (Laura Dern), he finds out that it has some connection to a nightclub singer called Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini). Jeffrey decides to spy on her, but he gets more than he bargained for when a psychopathic gangster called Frank (Dennis Hopper) drops in. Jeffrey then has this weird 'relationship' with Dorothy and in the meantime he is trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. 

Turns out Frank and his thugs have kidnapped Dorothy's husband and child, so Frank can pretty much do anything he wants with (and to) her. She has become a little mental thanks to this, which you will no doubt quickly discover and which Jeffrey also finds out. But Jeffrey continues on his quest, not only trying to find out just what the hell is going on, but trying to help Dorothy ànd stop Frank. 

But of course, as is often the case with David Lynch, this is not just some straight forward story about good versus bad, let alone a simple detective thriller. No, everyone has got secrets and plans, and as they unfold maybe not everything is as you expected it to be. 

Except for Frank: he truly is a complete psycho. And what a gloriously memorable psycho at that. Dennis Hopper not only relishes in the role, but during the 80s, who else could play a deranged guy that could fly off the handle at a moment's notice but mister Hopper? Heck, all the memorable lines are his, complete with his penchant for inhaling some sort of gas to get pumped. He is also the one with the fetish for blue velvet, hence the film's title. 

Rossellini is also very good as a woman who has been driven to complete despair, which explains why she often comes across as unhinged, right until the very end where her life regains some semblance of normality. 

Our focal points are McLachlan and Dern and they are damn fine too, albeit still a little green at times, but they were still very young in this film, so you can see past that. You can also see why David Lynch worked with both of them on several projects, as they fit his personal view on the world as portrayed through his films. 

Heck, 'Blue Velvet' is a dreamlike classic that will either grip you or leave you Siberian. Fans of Lynch have already seen this and haters will give it a hard pass. If you are still undecided, please have a watch. It is one of the easier ones to get into and it still has enough 'Lynchisms' to keep you fascinated.