This movie is both fundamentally Twin Peaks and an almost antithesis to Twin Peaks, at the same time as being a masterpiece as a standalone movie. And it blew my mind.
I am a die-hard fan of Twin Peaks to the point that I think it might be the only thing I'm capable of talking about. And of course, after the incomprehensible masterpiece that was the third season, I kept hearing that watching Fire Walk With Me would help me understand. And one some levels it did, but on others it was just as weird and bizarre as I could have expected from a Twin Peaks prequel.
It took a deep dive into the side of Laura Palmer we never quite saw during the original series, and amongst all of its classic weirdness, turned out to be a disturbingly tragic character study of a teenage girl who knew that death was inevitable. It shows the horrible nightmarish reality of happened on the last night of Laura's life, as well as all of the fateful events with Teresa Banks that led up to it as well as delving deeper into the mythology of the Black Lodge, a place that, to this day, haunts me with its strange beauty as well as being one of my worst nightmares.
This movie is different to the original TV show, and the reason it was dragged by critics was that everyone who saw it was expecting it to be the same. But as I've learned from watching The Return in Season 3, you never really get the same thing twice from Lynch. Fire Walk With Me is the dark, human side of Twin Peaks - it shows just what happened and spares no ounce of horrific detail. It's deeply emotional and deeply human, whilst still retaining the signature mystery of that small town in northern Washington. The ending was tragically beautiful, and I broke down sobbing so hard after finishing it.
I'm quite adamant over people trying to "eXpLaIn ThE MeAnInG oF tWiN pEaKs (NO, ACTUALLY!!!)" in four-hour-long videos. It just annoys me when something that is clearly not meant to be analysed is analysed. I mean, I'm not saying that there isn't a plot at all and you should take it at face level, because it is indeed a beautifully interwoven story which deserved thought, I'm more referring to the fact that a lot of people get too bogged down into trying to meticulously piece everything together that they completely forget the other aspects of the film. I mean, I've got to admit that even I sometimes have to google "Plot of Twin Peaks", but I usually never go further than that. This applies to pretty much every David Lynch film. I think that a lot of people don't realise that Lynch is unlike most other directors, and that his movies are less about having a coherent plot and more about the surreal and bizarre world they suck you into. And, besides, David Lynch never confirms nor denies any theories for interpreting his movies, so what's the point?
However, the thing with Fire Walk With Me is that, even though being just as bizarre as the rest of the Twin Peaks universe, it makes a strange amount of sense and bridges the gap between Seasons 1 & 2 and Season 3 really nicely. Throughout the entirety of this and Missing Pieces I kept exclaiming "Ohhhhhh!!' as I realised the way that everything links back to everything else was made weirdly clear. The one problem I had whilst watching this was the casting. As delighted as I was to see most of the original cast back, as good of a job as Moira Kelly did she didn't match the character of Donna as well as Lara Flynn Boyle did. Additionally, David Bowie, Kyle MacLachlan, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris Isaak deserved way more screen time. I think the scene with the CCTV camera in the hallway when Phillip Jeffries reappears, only for his recounting to turn into inter-dimensional chaos, has got to be the highlight of the movie. Also, Sherilyn Fenn and Richard Beymer were unfortunately absent too. Audrey and Ben Horne were two of the most interesting characters from the original series and I would have loved to see some sort of storyline with them (maybe something about One Eyed Jack's?).
One thing I should say: my recommended viewing order would be Twin Peaks season 1 and 2, then Fire Walk With Me and The Missing Pieces (I watched them back-to-back in one sitting!) and only then watch the third season. Don't make the same mistake as I did, believe me, everything will become much clearer.
Don't listen to the critics. Listen to the tiny voice in your brain that screams "What the ****? I need more information!" when you're watching Twin Peaks. And then watch this to get that information and let that tiny voice go crazy.
-Sasha.
I am a die-hard fan of Twin Peaks to the point that I think it might be the only thing I'm capable of talking about. And of course, after the incomprehensible masterpiece that was the third season, I kept hearing that watching Fire Walk With Me would help me understand. And one some levels it did, but on others it was just as weird and bizarre as I could have expected from a Twin Peaks prequel.
It took a deep dive into the side of Laura Palmer we never quite saw during the original series, and amongst all of its classic weirdness, turned out to be a disturbingly tragic character study of a teenage girl who knew that death was inevitable. It shows the horrible nightmarish reality of happened on the last night of Laura's life, as well as all of the fateful events with Teresa Banks that led up to it as well as delving deeper into the mythology of the Black Lodge, a place that, to this day, haunts me with its strange beauty as well as being one of my worst nightmares.
This movie is different to the original TV show, and the reason it was dragged by critics was that everyone who saw it was expecting it to be the same. But as I've learned from watching The Return in Season 3, you never really get the same thing twice from Lynch. Fire Walk With Me is the dark, human side of Twin Peaks - it shows just what happened and spares no ounce of horrific detail. It's deeply emotional and deeply human, whilst still retaining the signature mystery of that small town in northern Washington. The ending was tragically beautiful, and I broke down sobbing so hard after finishing it.
I'm quite adamant over people trying to "eXpLaIn ThE MeAnInG oF tWiN pEaKs (NO, ACTUALLY!!!)" in four-hour-long videos. It just annoys me when something that is clearly not meant to be analysed is analysed. I mean, I'm not saying that there isn't a plot at all and you should take it at face level, because it is indeed a beautifully interwoven story which deserved thought, I'm more referring to the fact that a lot of people get too bogged down into trying to meticulously piece everything together that they completely forget the other aspects of the film. I mean, I've got to admit that even I sometimes have to google "Plot of Twin Peaks", but I usually never go further than that. This applies to pretty much every David Lynch film. I think that a lot of people don't realise that Lynch is unlike most other directors, and that his movies are less about having a coherent plot and more about the surreal and bizarre world they suck you into. And, besides, David Lynch never confirms nor denies any theories for interpreting his movies, so what's the point?
However, the thing with Fire Walk With Me is that, even though being just as bizarre as the rest of the Twin Peaks universe, it makes a strange amount of sense and bridges the gap between Seasons 1 & 2 and Season 3 really nicely. Throughout the entirety of this and Missing Pieces I kept exclaiming "Ohhhhhh!!' as I realised the way that everything links back to everything else was made weirdly clear. The one problem I had whilst watching this was the casting. As delighted as I was to see most of the original cast back, as good of a job as Moira Kelly did she didn't match the character of Donna as well as Lara Flynn Boyle did. Additionally, David Bowie, Kyle MacLachlan, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris Isaak deserved way more screen time. I think the scene with the CCTV camera in the hallway when Phillip Jeffries reappears, only for his recounting to turn into inter-dimensional chaos, has got to be the highlight of the movie. Also, Sherilyn Fenn and Richard Beymer were unfortunately absent too. Audrey and Ben Horne were two of the most interesting characters from the original series and I would have loved to see some sort of storyline with them (maybe something about One Eyed Jack's?).
One thing I should say: my recommended viewing order would be Twin Peaks season 1 and 2, then Fire Walk With Me and The Missing Pieces (I watched them back-to-back in one sitting!) and only then watch the third season. Don't make the same mistake as I did, believe me, everything will become much clearer.
Don't listen to the critics. Listen to the tiny voice in your brain that screams "What the ****? I need more information!" when you're watching Twin Peaks. And then watch this to get that information and let that tiny voice go crazy.
-Sasha.