Eraserhead (1977) - A cult movie of the surreal art of cinema - 8/10 (07/02/11)

David Lynch's first full length movie is one of the rare movies that has been extremely weird, progressive and simply different that have reached a certain cult status and given the occasion to a brilliant genius and director to do a professional career. There are many reasons why this movie has been so popular and it certainly merits its status even if it's surprising that so many people like this disturbing, slow paced and anti-mainstream flick.

The movie has been shot in black and white and works a lot with surreal images, absurd scenes and strange sounds. The first ten minutes are without any dialogues and even when some characters begin to talk, there conversations are reduced to a straight minimum. The story is slow paced but yet very difficult to explain. The story is set in a very dark, grey and desperate industrial region which creates a truly haunting atmosphere. A weirdo, brilliantly played by the amazing and very authentic Jack Nance, gets the message that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant and they get together again to live with the baby that nobody wanted to get born. The couple soon feels imprisoned by the presence of an ugly and totally weird baby and is longing for freedom and afraid of taking responsibilities. That's the part of the story that is easy to explain but concerning the ending and the whole meaning of the movie, everyone should make up his own mind just as I have developed my proper theory.

The movie is highly experimental and a weird piece of avant-garde. It is difficult to approach because of the lack of dialogues and the very slow paced development. The movie is sometimes gore and disgusting, sometimes transcending and surreal and deals a lot with the topic of sex in a very artistic and mature way.

Personally, I would suggest to anyone that likes original and experimental movies to have a look on this flick as it influenced many famous directors, actors and even musicians and shows us the roots of a brilliant director that later created masterpieces such as "Twin Peaks" or "Lost highway". This is one of those movies that this kind of people should have seen at least once in their lives. It will surely be a very special and unforgettable experience but you will adore or hate it for sure as there is not much left in between. I really adore it but I didn't give the highest ratings because David Lynch has even done better movies and because there is even stuff out there that is weirder than this one, but "Eraserhead" is surely a brilliant introduction to the surreal art of cinema.