LYNCH/OZ - Mark Reviews Movies

Lynch/Oz, Janus Films

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Review by Mark Dujsik | June 8, 2023

Lynch/Oz doesn't set out to solve the puzzle of the works of David Lynch. That would be impossible and unwise or, perhaps, downright foolish, because Lynch's films can feel like scene after scene of different riddles. The best one can do when confronting the work of the surrealist filmmaker is to keep an open mind, try to find some entryway that makes sense, and engage with what he presents as honestly as possible.

That's the philosophy of director Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary, which puts forth one possible piece of just one of the many puzzles Lynch has given us over the decades. It's the belief that the filmmaker is greatly inspired by The Wizard of Oz, the classic 1939 film with a story and cultural impact that probably don't need any explication.

As for Philippe's approach to this thesis, it's as simple as it is generous, giving over the documentary's voice to seven others—six filmmakers and a film critic—across a sextet of chapters and offering them free rein to develop that theory however each one sees fit. The director takes these essays and, as has become his style, assembles a montage of clips—from Lynch's films, to others, to interviews—to accompany the pieces.

The middle two segments, featuring John Waters and Karyn Kusama, are the strongest, but that's almost beside the point. Each one is so different and imagines the influence The Wizard of Oz might have had on Lynch's work in such unique ways that we might actually start to question if Philippe's thesis is even worth exploring in the first place.

The fact that there is some skepticism here—especially when it comes to the last chapter from director David Lowery, who points out some of the films and filmmakers influencing his own work as just a kind of stylistic shortcut—isn't a detriment, though. It shows that these participants are taking the idea seriously enough to offer some doubts.

Film critic Amy Nicholson uses the sound of wind from the tornado that whisks Judy Garland's Dorothy to Oz to find similar moments of the noise in Lynch's films—noting especially the potential significance of when such a sound shouldn't be in that space. Like Lowery, documentarian Rodney Ascher also considers how filmmakers develop a style and stick to certain themes throughout a career. The filmmaking duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are the least convincing in general, focusing on the connection of names and not digging much further.

The overall impact of Lynch/Oz is certainly greater than the sum of its parts, but the reason Waters and Kusama's stick out in particular isn't just the thoughtfulness and depth of their pieces. Each one's approach is so distinct, with Waters considering a very personal perspective and Kusama diving into technique, but placed right next to each other. They're both equally valid and, because Lynch is such a personal and technical filmmaker, necessary to consider.

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