With Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, David Lynch combined surrealism and melodrama so dazzlingly that virtually all subsequent offbeat thrillers’ have had to rip him off. The result? Loads of rubbish films. Even Lynch’s own recent work has suffered under the weight of his reputation as the Sultan of Strange’, often resembling Peaks-parody.
Mike Figgis’s meta-cinematic mystery Suspension of Disbelief, ahem, “homages” Lynch to an alarming degree. Imagine a condensed pastiche of Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire garnished with a bit of ’60s Godard, maybe to try and throw you off the scent as made by an inept British director. And that’s more or less all there is to it.
The dreary incoherence begins thus: screenwriter Martin (Koch) goes to bed after a party. Ominous synths and moody jazz soundtrack lead to a series of are-they-aren’t-they hallucinations, including one of an unknown woman sitting on a chair in front of some red curtains in a dreamily lit room (sound familiar?). Later, we learn that someone’s died… But who? And have they even actually died? What’s film, what’s dream and what’s reality?
Considering how ruthlessly derivative this is, it’s remarkable that it captures none of the distinctive, dread-filled atmosphere of its forebears. Perhaps that’s due to the perfect absence of subtlety: Martin teaches a screenwriting class, so that we get plenty of cinematic ideas “explained” to us throughout.
A recurring assertion both in Martin’s classes and in the Godardesque intertitles is that character is plot’. If we are meant to take this aphorism seriously, the film’s own plot’ is largely sallow, unshaven men and naked women staring confusedly into the mid-distance. Figgis hasn’t actually written any characters.
Stubborn artists often proclaim, as Martin does here, that they have no obligation to satisfy an audience. But it’s undeniable that the purpose of a movie is to be watched, so it does at least need to make some sort of sense. If a film is made purely for the benefit of its navel-gazing director, it doesn’t exactly do the ailing UK film industry any favours.
If you’re looking for something that explores the distinction between fiction and reality without getting too pretentious or embarrassing, I’d recommend a Charlie Kaufman film at least they have a sense of humour.
Overall Verdict: Suspension of disbelief? To make it to the end, you’ll also need to suspend all capacity for logical and aesthetic judgement. In other words, maybe give it a miss?
Special Features:
Deleted scene
Trailer
Reviewer: Tom René