'Lynch/Oz' trailer: David Lynch's fascination with 'The Wizard of Oz' is unmasked

David Lynch is the man behind the curtain, the wonderful Wizard of Oz, in the surreal construct we call cinema. Or so the documentary "Lynch/Oz" claims.

Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the film was born from author Lynch's response during a question-and-answer panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival after the screening of "Mulholland Drive". Lynch said more than 20 years ago that "not a day goes by that I don't think of 'Wizard of Oz'" when asked about the classic film's impact on his own work.

"Lynch/Oz" reframes Lynch's filmography in the context of the Technicolor fantasy dream sequence that thrust innocent Dorothy (Judy Garland) into a storybook world. The documentary will make its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and Film 4 will release the feature in UK cinemas and on demand in Ireland on December 2. "Lynch/Oz" will be distributed by Janus Films in North America, and does not yet have a release date.

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The official synopsis reads: "Lynch/Oz" explores one of the most compelling enigmas in cinematic history: the enduring symbiosis between America's primordial fairy tale, "The Wizard of 'Oz', and David Lynch's singular brand of popular surrealism. .

Separated into six chapters narrated by critic Amy Nicholson, "Jennifer's Body" director Karyn Kusama, Rodney Ascher and fellow iconic filmmaker John Waters, "Lynch/Oz" parallels famous Lynch projects such as " Mulholland Drive,” “Twin Peaks,” and “Blue Velvet” with the elusive promise of adventure in “The Wizard of Oz.” Much like Dorothy's descent into the Emerald City, Lynch lifts the curtain on the false concept of a safe suburb, exposing a mind-bending surreal portal just over the rainbow.

IndieWire reviewer David Ehrlich reviewed "Lynch/Oz" from the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, writing that the documentary "makes a somewhat hearty meal out of the tasty breadcrumbs Lynch left behind about his lifelong fascination with psychogenic runaways, disturbing gusts of wind, and a strange woman named Judy (whom we might not be able to keep out of it, after all).”

""Lynch/Oz" is at its best when it's most illustrative: adding familiar clips with new context or curating side-by-side comparisons that hear eerie echoes between Victor Fleming's family classic and David Lynch's most haunted work." Ehrlich continued. "Filtering 'The Wizard of Oz' through the lens of David Lynch, Phillippe and his guests find these energies in close proximity to each other. , using two deceptively different visions of America to suggest that our dreams and nightmares have never been as far apart as they seem.”

"Lynch/Oz" is coming soon.

Check out the trailer below.

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