David Lynch's obsession with "The Wizard of Oz" and the way it has manifested itself throughout the filmmaker's career is explored in "Lynch/Oz," a thoughtful and probing look at the nature of inspiration and expression, both in Lynch's world and outside his boundaries.
Documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe interviews a handful of filmmakers, Lynch fans all, and gets them talking about the ways "The Wizard of Oz" continually shows up in Lynch's works, from "The Elephant Man" to "Dune" to "Blue Velvet" to "Twin Peaks" and beyond.
It's not just overt references such as red shoes or the transporting of characters to another world past their own. It's the themes of "The Wizard of Oz" and the magic of the 1939 film, the effect it had on both Lynch and the filmmakers interviewed, and the endless ways in which "Oz" can be interpreted and viewed through different lenses throughout time.
Philippe tells "Lynch/Oz" almost entirely through film clips, both Lynch's and those of other filmmakers. Lynch himself only appears in archival footage or interviews: the film is not endorsed by the director but it's also not not endorsed by the filmmaker, for what it's worth.
John Waters, Karyn Kusama ("Girlfight," "Jennifer's Body") and David Lowery ("The Green Knight," "Pete's Dragon") are among those who share their theories in the film. What emerges is an exploration of film as a medium, and the way directors from Wong Kar-wai to Alfred Hitchcock pursued the stories in their heads and followed their muses, wherever they happened to guide them, repeating certain thoughts and motifs again and again on film. And it just so happens that Lynch kept, and keeps, coming back to "Oz."
"There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about 'The Wizard of Oz,'" Lynch can be heard saying at one point in the film. "Lynch/Oz" shows how that can be seen in his work, and presents a captivating study of the creative process over a lifetime.
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'LYNCH/OZ'
Grade: B
Not rated (violent images, nudity)
Running time: 1:49
How to watch: Now in theaters
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