Section 3 of five · TEN CLUES
Ten clues, printed on a DVD insert
The list Lynch published, and why it made the argument worse.
Lynch published ten things to notice and answered none of the questions they raise.Photo: David Lynch · Wikimedia Commons
3 pieces in this section
Lynch printed ten clues and settled nothing
The DVD insert listed ten things to notice. They are genuine pointers and also a joke about wanting to be told, and each supports two readings.
Every explanation costs you something else
The dream reading, the Hollywood-machine reading, the two-women reading: each makes a set of scenes work and leaves another set stranded.
Cannes gave it a prize it had to share
Lynch took Best Director at Cannes in 2001, jointly. The critical reception hardened into consensus slowly, and the 2022 Sight and Sound poll is where that landed.