John David Ebert Movie Review of Inland Empire

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[utubegod35]

It's a good review, but I like to watch reviews to get a sense of if I'd like to watch something or not. That's sorta the point. In that regard, this pisses me the hell off, because there's a huge spoiler. A warning in the description would be nice.

[johndavidebert]

@utubegod35

Sorry about the spoiler, but my reviews are designed for people who have already seen the movie and who wish to reflect upon what they've seen. I don't think it's realistic to make the assumption that people have or have not seen certain films. That's for movie reviewers who review current films, not for culture critics such as myself who presuppose, just as a literary critic presupposes, that the audience is already familiar with the work in question.

[johndavidebert]

Would you mind clarifying? This comment makes no sense.

Thanks.

--J.E.

[suspekt29]

This is an excellent summation. Thank you.

[robaquarian]

ronald reagan asked when he became president where the war room was. there was no war room. then he said what about DR Strangelove?

[Bassbait]

I live in the inland empire now, so this movie just seems weird to me...

oh wait. It is weird.

[Hespeart]

This guy is merely describing what we can all see on screen. Inland Empire is a journey into the Woman In Trouble's mind. This woman is not Nikki, the Polish Brunette, or anyone else seen on screen. The person whose mind we inhabit is NEVER SEEN on screen and what we see is a representation of her 'thoughts', This 'WiT' had an affair , got pregnant and killed her husband and love child. These events have been slowly driving her mad for a decade and this is why she is in trouble.

[ChollieD]

@johndavidebert Re: your Inland Empire "review"...This is one of the more coherent and comprehensive readings of the film that I've seen.

Well done.

[DistantJ]

So the main clues:

- 'Blue Tomorrows' is based on a folk tale, which is based on truth

- The scenes in Poland are all in the past, in fact, the truth the folk tale is based on

- In doing the movie and becoming Susan, Nikki lifts the Polish woman's 'curse'

[DistantJ]

...When Nikki (I believe Susan's 'death scene' kills Susan off and we escape her reality to return to Nikki, who now knows what she must do...) reaches room 47, out walks the polish woman's original husband who abused her and put her in the state she is in now (whether the 'curse' is real or just represents mental anguish is up to you), and confronts him, freeing the polish lady from her curse and reuniting her with her lover (the original 'Billy') and who I believe to be their love child.

[DistantJ]

...The other two rabbits I'm not sure about, but when they disappear, two girls run down the corridor, ecstatic to be free. Put two and two together and yeah...

[DistantJ]

...The rabbits are also cursed and trapped, the male rabbit can leave and turns into different people throughout the movie. The male rabbit, and the polish character who appears in the polish scenes and is Nikki's husband in the present (the polish scenes are in the past, they're the true story the movie is recreating) is the polish man who 'Billy' was based on. The man the young polish woman had an affair with before succumbing to abuse and ending up on the streets as a prostitute...

[DistantJ]

Very nice! Got a couple of things to say about Inland Empire... Clues I suppose...

The movie they're filming is based on a true story. The scenes in polish are that true story. 'Susan' is the 'blue tomorrows' version of the crying woman (who is also in some of the polish scenes), through Susan, Nikki is experiencing the polish woman's story and downfall into prostitution and her eventual curse from her abusive husband (who is a gypsy/circus type, 'the phantom') keeping her in the room...