Never Seen It Podcast – Episode 52 Inland Empire (2006)

This week on The Never Seen It Podcast, we enter the shadowy, hypnotic labyrinth that is David Lynch’s Inland Empire — and honestly, we’re still trying to find our way out.

In true Lynch fashion, this one’s a full-on fever dream: fragmented timelines, identity blurring, eerie rabbits, haunted Hollywood lots, and more emotional dread than you can shake a handheld digital camcorder at. We unpack the film’s lo-fi, almost ghostly aesthetic and how it heightens the story’s surreal, nightmarish mood.

We dive into the heavy themes of abuse, domestic violence, and trauma that bubble beneath the surface. Though even that feels like an understatement, because some parts are so abstract and experimental, they’re almost beyond analysis. Even the cast didn’t fully know what they were filming at times… and that somehow makes it even more Lynchian.

Oh, and we couldn’t talk about Inland Empire without mentioning David Lynch standing in downtown Hollywood with a cow and a sign campaigning for Laura Dern’s Oscar nom. Iconic.

🎧 Give it a listen, and let us know what you think this movie is about (we’re genuinely curious).

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