‘Lynch/Oz’
Did you ever take (and subsequently enjoy) a film study class in high school or college? If not, you can probably just ignore this recommendation, but IF SO, then you’re in for a treat. Director Alexandre O. Philippe’s new documentary takes the form of a series of visual essays examining the intersection of the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz (arguably the greatest American film of all-time) and David Lynch’s singular career as a writer/director. Reminiscent of Rodney Ascher’s Room 237 (which deep dives into Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining) and David Fincher’s 2021 Netflix series Voir, Lynch/Oz is comprised of a series of 7 short explorations into how Lynch’s work continually references Oz, sometimes overtly (like in 1995’s Cannes Palme d’Or winning Wild At Heart) and sometimes subtextually (like in Mulholland Drive). It’s a movie made by and for those of us who enjoy totally nerding out about cinema, and if you self-identify with any of those descriptors, add this one to your queue pronto.