On January 16th, 2025, the world lost an auteur. David Lynch passed away just four days before his 79th birthday. Pauline Kael once called Lynch “a populist surrealist,” which is true, but he was also the artist who made American Surrealism no longer an oxymoron.
What you’re about to read is stream of conscious writing. David Lynch was not only my favorite filmmaker, he was my hero. I’ve been a fan of his work since I was 5 years old, watching Twin Peaks with my parents. For the next 35 years, Lynch’s work has been intertwined with my life. I’ve studied his career, enjoyed it as a fan, been a part of related fandoms, and even founded this website, which started off dedicated to the revival of Twin Peaks.
Here we go…
David Lynch was an artist in the truest sense of the term. He started making films so he could see his paintings move. While he was inspired by cinematic legends, his work came from a place of intuition. He wasn’t interested in answers because questions are far more compelling. Life is a mystery in and of itself, and Lynch’s artistic style embraced that. None of us truly know the answer to anything, so why should cinema tie a neat and tidy bow on stories? It’s not true to life, and Lynch championed this idea better than anyone.
Lynch embraced dream culture in his work. Sometimes it was evident, and sometimes it wasn’t. The end result was teaching us how to not only dream but also embrace the unexplained. We could cross over somewhere else in his work, and those places didn’t have to be defined. While the abstract can be horrific (Eraserhead), it can also be comforting (The Fireman in Twin Peaks: The Return). The point was to let go. We don’t have to know the answer. We just have to embrace the process. Allow ourselves to get absorbed by the moving painting. Feel what we’re seeing and not just try to define it. This is a great analogy for life itself.
Much of Lynch’s work looks at America, although he’s not always known for that. A study of his career will depict changing social climates, geographic locations, and technology. His work is a time capsule of the evolution of America, told through a surrealist lens. More common interpretations of his work focus on the “woman in trouble” narrative, which is evident, but it’s just one piece of his cherry pie. David Lynch’s work was complex on many levels, which accounts for the fact that not all of his themes are accounted for by critics and scholars.
One can’t help but think of how David Lynch achieved legendary filmmaking status without major studio involvement. In this ever-changing world in which we live, we have to hope that more mavericks arise and find the ways and means in which to make their art, even if they don’t have nonstop commercials promoting their release and hundreds of millions of dollars invested into their success. These mavericks exist today and are ready to walk through the door that artists like Lynch kicked in previously. Let’s champion them.
While most articles and eulogies will focus on Lynch’s success as a filmmaker, arguably his biggest achievement is the fandoms his work has created. Lynch’s work has brought people together in a way that’s only rivaled by Star Wars or Star Trek, perhaps. It’s remarkable when you consider that Lynch was never a commercially successful filmmaker, but his work was beloved without major studios and their full blitz marketing campaigns. Conventions, social media groups, and film festivals all exist in his honor. This doesn’t even account for all of the scholars and critics who have devoted their careers to studying the work of David Lynch.
It’s hard not to be sad on a day like this. We’ve lost an amazing artist who brought a lot of people together. It’s overwhelming to stop and think about David Lynch’s contributions to our culture and lives. There will be an outpouring of essays, books, and podcasts over the next few years trying to unravel the mysteries of Lynch. Out of pain and sadness comes good art, and there will be good art inspired by David Lynch. Sunny days ahead, my friends.
In closing, as we enter strange times in our world with heavy feelings hanging over us all, we must remember words from Lynch himself: “Fix your hearts or die.” There was always a sense of underlying goodness in the dark worlds David Lynch depicted, and that feels appropriate to think about today.
Thank you, Mr. Lynch, for the art, for the memories, and for the examples you gave us in your work. Thank you for teaching us how to dream, telling us to embrace the unknown, and to fish for the big ideas. Thank you for shining a light on the Laura Palmers of the world and reminding us that Log Ladies do exist. Now it’s dark, but it won’t be forever. You showed us that the robins will be back sooner or later.
Thankyou, for your brilliant tribute, Andrew. Couldn’t have written it, better.
A very sad day, for Film, and TV.
Well said, Andrew. David Lynch possessed singular talent, and we are blessed to be left with his fascinating body of work. He will be fondly remembered and dearly missed.
Thank you, Andrew. I knew you would have the words to soothe the hole left in my heart by David Lynch’s absence.