Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me – Laura’s Final Days
Written by Dr. Zoe Crombie.
It’s hardly a spoiler to say that Twin Peaks, the early 90s drama that changed television, centres on the mysterious murder of tortured homecoming queen Laura Palmer. Of course, the show becomes much more than this, using Laura as a jumping off point to explore a myriad of characters, relationships, and preternatural realms – in fact, if you watch the show alone, Laura is more of a pivot point than a character, and it’s hard to know who she truly is.
This curtain is lifted in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, a film that initially faced harsh criticism from within Hollywood only to later become one of his most celebrated works. Split into two sections, the first depicting the aftermath of the original murder before Laura (only alluded to in the series) and the second allowing us access to the last seven days of Laura’s tormented life, the film is often oblique, yet emotionally relentless. Sheryl Lee’s intense performance as the doomed character is like no other, and Lynch pulls from some of the most inscrutable corners of his creative spirit to put together a distorted fever dream of the town many viewers came to love.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is a phantasmagorical nightmare that takes the darkest parts of the series and runs with them, creating one of the most unique and affecting tales of abuse ever put to screen – there’s no film that makes me cry quite so much. If you’ve been watching the series in the wake of Lynch’s passing, don’t miss the opportunity to see this on a cinema screen.
Catch it at the Dukes on Friday the 2nd May !
Why not double it up with Blue Velvet? Book both films, and get £2 off!
