‎Inland Empire (2006) directed by David Lynch • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Inland Empire

2006 Directed by David Lynch

A woman in trouble

An actress's perception of reality becomes increasingly distorted as she finds herself falling for her co-star in a remake of an unfinished Polish production that was supposedly cursed.

Laura Dern Jeremy Irons Justin Theroux Karolina Gruszka Krzysztof Majchrzak Jan Hencz Grace Zabriskie Ian Abercrombie Amanda Foreman Peter J. Lucas Harry Dean Stanton Cameron Daddo Neil Dickson Diane Ladd William H. Macy Stanislaw Kazimierz Cybulski Henryka Cybulski Julia Ormond Jordan Ladd Kristen Kerr Mary Steenburgen Masuimi Max Robert Charles Hunter Terry Crews Nastassja Kinski Laura Harring Scott Coffey Naomi Watts

180 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Grooveman ★★★★★ 18

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Review by Adam Cook ★★★★½ 18

INLAND EMPIRE (Lynch for some reason is insistent on the capitalisation of the title) is an experience to say the least. Whether you view it as one of Lynch's best movies or an elaborate joke on the audience depends on how you view the director’s work as a whole. I am unapologetic in my love of Lynch and whilst I am not quite blind to his faults I am very much a fanboy. For this reason, INLAND EMPIRE is a work of mind-fucking brilliance.

It is one of the most indulgent, mental and disorienting films I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It is a film that demands and contradicts interpretation which means it works best when letting the…
Review by DirkH ★★ 16

Visual representation of me watching Inland Empire:

(^-^)

(<_<)

(>.<)

(o_O)

(@_@)

(-_-)

Guess this wasn't for me.....
Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★★ 8

BRUTAL FUCKING MURDER.
Review by Katie ★★★★ 6

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿????????????????????????????????????????¿????????????????????????????????????????¿??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿????????????????????????????????????????¿????????????????????????????????????????¿??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿????????????????????????????????????????¿????????????????????????????????????????¿??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¿?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Review by Ethan Vestby ★★★★★ 3

Lynch on frequent collaborator Dean Hurley in the DVD special features: "I really don't like Dean as a person but he's a fantastic sound man."

Recent reviews

Review by 😈 Hanna Estella I'm Pretty As Fuck 💭 ★★★★½

“This much I'm certain of: it doesn't happen immediately. You'll finish [the book] and that will be that, until a moment will come, maybe in a month, maybe a year, maybe even several years. You'll be sick or feeling troubled or deeply in love or quietly uncertain or even content for the first time in your life. It won't matter. Out of the blue, beyond any cause you can trace, you'll suddenly realize things are not how you perceived them to be at all. For some reason, you will no longer be the person you believed you once were. You'll detect slow and subtle shifts going on all around you, more importantly shifts in you. Worse, you'll realize it's always…
Review by Lewis Skelly ★★★★½

Fuck you Lynch. I love you. Jesus, this movie is a total fucking trip. In my opinion, by far his weirdest release and not just due to its length, and having time to cram more mind bending shit in there. I honestly felt sick I was so confused at times and loved nearly every minute of its 3 hour run time. Needs multiple watches to remotely understand I'm sure, but like most of his movies - it's kind of an experience, right? Ain't no body else able to make you feel the way Lynch does.

Here's a shot of a chair. It will be the scariest thing you have ever seen.

Brilliant and totally fucking mad.
Review by Rocky Peterson ★★★★½

I think "phantasmagoria" is a pretty unwieldy, pretentious word, but I can't think of a better one to describe Inland Empire. David Lynch's dreamlike film could be a ghost story (literal and metaphorical), a film about adultery, an attack on Hollywood, or God knows what else. It's not his best, but it's damn sure his Lynchiest. It's also the creepiest film I've ever seen, so that should count for something. It was tough to adjust to this after a childhood spent watching Laura Dern play a paleontologist, but I got over it quick enough. Watch it with the lights off.
Review by O. Cabrera ★★★★★

This used "Sinnerman" perfectly first before Coca-cola 2018 (latin american) commercial made it popular. I just gonna say that for now.
Well... the last Lynch film he directed. This says everything.
Review by athenae! ★★★★★

Absolutely unlike anything I've ever seen before. The kind of film that needs to be seen in theaters, or as a compromise, in a pitch-black room in the middle of the night with no cellphones or distractions.

Going into it, the plot seemed pretty darn interesting to begin with... a murder? In a previous production? Brutal fucking murder? COOL!

But ohhhhohohohohoh what David Lynch does here is tremendous. I can't even dare to touch it with one viewing. Using his Sony digicam, Lynch's camera work is often intrusive and, in my opinion, when the scenes are best framed, we see some of his most innovative work with this equipment.

anddddd ****spoilers**** from this point on as I try to make…
Review by Badcritic ★★

I had to break this into chunks to make it through, a rarity for me even with longer films, but I don't feel like it was worth the time I spent on it. There are as many interpretations of why people like Lynch as there are stars in the sky, all of them valid (probably). When I think about why I like Lynch myself, it's that in most of his filmography, despite how weird it gets, you can detect him saying 'something' with it, he's using his medium to say something, and even if you don't get it, or agree with it, it's still interesting to watch.
I think when he has an idea he wants to propose then a…
Review by quintonfun ★★★½ 1

*2.5 hours in, squinting* holy shit, is that terry crews?
Review by George ★★★★½ 4

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

If you haven't seen INLAND EMPIRE and have any intentions of doing so, (which you should), please don't read this.

A WOMAN IN TROUBLE

Not that INLAND EMPIRE is a film to be analysed - it isn't - but any and all interpretations that surfaced from my first viewing of Lynch's most unconventional and surreal film to date comes right back to this tagline. Abortion, sexual assault, prostitution, the triumphs and struggles, to me, this film is about women. The final scene, that freaking end credits scene... is perfection. I adored it. There's a sense of release, of celebration, of a collective breath, a collective click that filled me with all the good feelings. Panning across to reveal her giving…
Review by kev ★★★★½

formless and difficult. all of Lynch's ideas and aesthetics over the course of his career clash here, arguably gracefully or disastrously