Eraserhead

What the hell is this supposed to mean? Why? Who? What? How? This can't be rated, it might not even be considered a film. Filth, anger and loathing. But at the same time, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. I'm abstaining from rating this. (06.12.2011)

You'd be hard pressed to find a more depressing spectacle anywhere. A film without a single shot or sound that stands out and doesn’t contribute to the creation of an absolutely bleak atmosphere, sucking the viewer dry of the last spark of joy. The work with the hideously irritating sounds is exemplary and paralysing, as are the simple but extremely explicit and disturbing make-up effects, which you won’t be able to get out of your head for a long time. It's purely my fault that I don't naturally seek out such ungraspable narratives that prevent the viewer from fully connecting with the characters' inner world and feelings, and I can't watch them with more than a cold cinephilic fascination, because Eraserhead is a bountiful experimental treasure. The mindfuck of the century. (15.03.2017)

I missed out on Lynch's graduation film for a long time, but after three decades of waiting, I couldn't escape it - and surprisingly, I consider it much more accessible than I expected from the reviews. Lynch's later work represents a challenge for me, films like the 200-minute Inland Empire or Twin Peaks can bring someone who is not connected to Lynch's perception to the brink of despair with their infinity. Eraserhead is a surrealistic plaything with a reasonable duration, and it is original, provocative, and unsettling in many ways, but quite understandable to me. I acknowledge - my interpretation of the film may be far from Lynch's artistic intention. However, in the case of a surrealist piece of work, that is not an obstacle; dreams can be interpreted differently. Moreover, as far as I know, the director never provided any clues on how to interpret his film. I would understand if he didn't admit to the origin of the disabled baby, which is obviously made of organic matter, for several reasons. Nevertheless, I consider the $10,000 that the American Film Institute provided him to be money well spent. I like films that rely on atmosphere, and here Lynch succeeded in a fantastic way: the oppressive industrial world full of oddities and strangely deranged characters corresponds to the nightmare that haunts you just before waking up. The director settled his accounts with Philadelphia here - the city that shaped his adolescence and where he felt frustrated and misunderstood. This city experienced a decline during those times, industry disappeared, and the city was plagued by unemployment and poverty. The dirt and general decay of the depopulated neighborhoods are clearly felt in many scenes. Overall impression: 85%. (02.02.2021)

I did not understand and I will find it hard to forgive Lynch for a few scenes that disgusted me, whether I wanted it or not. But it really isn't easy to embrace images from nightmares when the singer in white emotionally crushes me with every scene. Nevertheless, I had no problem finishing the film because I still believed that I would understand it. It doesn't matter. By how destructive and unpleasant the whole Mind is, it's also impossible to prevent it from getting under your skin. Nevertheless, I can only recommend it to viewers who enjoy challenges, experiments, and taking leaps into the unknown. (26.05.2006)