Why You're Wrong About - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Review and Analysis) 

that scene where laura is hiding in the bushes and hiding from bob to then see her dad leave the house and her screams of realisation as to what just happened are some of the most jarring seconds i’ve seen in film. so terrifying.

I give Lynch alot of credit for making that movie because you need to have watched the whole show first to understand whats going on, which was VERY uncommon for a movie back then. ive watched the whole tv show twice, and I still found the movie pretty trippy and weird, and a little hard to follow, but in a good way lol. The Twin Peaks franchise is either a love it or hate it, either you get it, or you don't.

In contrast to the often surreal nature of the TV series, FWWM is actually a very straightforward story of the hell faced by a victim of incest, and her slow, self destructive descent towards an incredibly sad end. And that is what really differentiates the two in terms of tone and emphasis, because apart from some light humour early on in the film, this is a serious and quite harrowing study of abuse which really pulls no punches, and the more usual Lynchian dadaist feel would have been quite out of place here. Of course that is not to say that it lacks that dream like off center eerieness that his best works normally have, but in FWWM it seems to serve a very specific purpose, namely that of reflecting Laura Palmer's fragmented, disassociated, and frequently nightmarish sense of consciousness, and often so uncomfortably that it makes for very hard viewing. And that is what I left the movie with, a terrible sense of sadness and loss for Laura, whose betrayal, degradation and dehumanization were to culminate in a senseless death without resolve, redemption or peace. Very hard hitting and hard to forget.

from the scene where the caravan disappeared, this film had me gripped. the best scene is where her boyfriend accidentally shoots the guy and she's so high she can't stop giggling. there was something so tense, awkward and genuine about that scene.

FWWM is a masterpiece, the movie doubles every inch of Original TP, the return and the movie ifself. Everything is reflection and electricity

I had never seen ANYTHING by Lynch and saw this in high school. It TERRIFIED me, mystified me, and was THE most unique film I had ever seen.

This film really reframes the entirety of twin peaks. The series was a quirky, melodramatic mystery with some surreal elements, but the film reinterprets all of it with more reality. Bob feels less supernatural, and more like a representation of lelands evil.

But I'm not wrong. I love the movie. Why are you telling me I'm wrong?

I think the problem with finding the visual symbols for Fire Walk With Me is that you have to also watch through Twin Peaks to get all of them, and the two go together. As you said, they are mirrors to each other, and thus need each other to be understood.

'Fire Walk With Me' is my favourite film of all time. The soundtrack alone is worth mentioning. This film, even though a prequel (of sorts) is actually the perfect bridge between Season 2 and Season 3. There is a Fan Edit version of FWWM which has the original cut scenes (also extended ones) lovingly restored back into the chronological narrative of the movie which makes for a far more satisfying and revealing experience. This version runs at 3 and a half hours. Anyway, good review.

having watched the OG series several times through and only just now watching FWWM, I truly couldn't understand the hate it received. It's not only excellent world building but as you put it, you really feel the raw unfiltered emotions of these characters through a lens only Lynch could provide. If one didn't have the context of the rest of the series I could understand the critical panning, but given that context the visuals, sound design and storytelling are so effectively nightmarish and set up the events of the series perfectly. nicely put analysis

This is a really great analysis! Im a huge fan, and I watched the series first before watching Fire Walk with me. Then after watching the movie, the series made sense, all the way up to The Return. Each season brilliantly interchanges character traits among the people in Twin Peaks that if you dont carefully watch, you'll miss it. Lynch has geniusly told the same story in several different ways using surrealism that just gets deeper and deeper, and more brilliantly done each time. I hope and pray for Season 4, The Dossier

This is my favorite movie! I saw it when it came out and bought the DVD right away. It's intense and a masterpiece!💜💜💜💜

My personal favorite piece of Twin Peaks media. Love the video, you earned my subscription man!

Great discussion! I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that Twin peaks has a "sincerity" about it. I hope the third season keeps that sincerity while answering some of our lingering questions.

I was blown away by this movie this and blue velvet are easily 2 of my favorite films ever

You do know Lynch is a Scottish name. You look like a young David Lynch. The lightheartedness was Mark Frost. Fire Walk With Me is all Lynch. Everything Lynch does is something special - even Inland Empire. Film makers often try to make their movies feel weird or dreamlike. . But what we feel is that it's trying to feel weird. Lynch's world is definitely genuinely weird. Like the way you say third as turd. Ciao!

God bless Patty Norris, the production and costume designer of Fire Walk With Me.

This is a great review. I think I had similar reactions to the film, which I've seen 3 times. Like no other Lynch film, this one makes you feel for a character--empathize and sympathize --with Laura Palmer. In most of his other films, I find myself working though the symbols, metaphors, techniques. Great review.

Great analysis. Totally agree. Also, cheers on being able to get three syllables into the world "film."

I've always been puzzled when I hear people say this film was hard to follow. I had no problem with it, given that it was a Lynch film. And I hadn't seen the series when the movie came out! I don't know - I don't get it.

Dude I love your videos this is such a fresh perspective and you brought it down to earth and took away all the pretentiousness I had heard in other reviews I am definitely subscribing

Hi, I cannot remember the David Bowie scene at 03:37 - where is it from? It looks like it's Bowie's character from FWWM but I can't remember this. Are there different cuts of FWWM?

I love this movie, but I watched it on acid....understood perfectly!💐

As a story writer, I am somewhat drawn to Lynch's work. I am currently working on a series of short stories, involving teens, that are woven together, and I'm leaving the audience to piece together how they're connected. My brain is wired similarly to David's, and understanding Fire Walk With Me is for sure a trip for the brain, but after watching it once, w/o watching the show first, I understood it. The best way to describe what's going on in the movie is to think of it like Star Wars, with the Light and the Dark Side, and yes, like the film series, the line is blurred sometimes. To me, it's almost similar to watching The Others because it takes the viewer, not by surprise, but simply understanding how the storytelling is being played out, almost like it could be something Christopher Nolan does with his flashback sequences. Watching Twin Peaks is like watching a political satire being unraveled. There's a pivital moment that hangs over the entire storyline, whether or not the audience sees it. A method I've used before to create a scene that is either referred to in flashbacks, or not even in the script, but leave enough clues in the storyline for the audience to put two and two together, like it's a murder mystery......

Good for you. I remember when I saw it back in '92, I thought everyone had completely missed the mark on this film. It's a minor masterpiece.

The Millennium Falcon is made better with the The Pink Room playing in the background, lol.

This is the movie to watch in order to prep yourself for the third season "The Return" as it introduces many elements like The Woodsmen, Blue Rose, The Trailer Park, Electricity (Judy or Jud-ay), and "I am the arm and I sound like this...".

Keep up the videos buddy (if you're still into them), I enjoyed this! You got my support

I'll admit your title put me off, but I thought "maybe he's gonna say the opposite" and sure enough you did. So thanks for that. Agreed on Mark Kermode, he's so damn hoity toity.

To truly understand Twin Peaks one needs to read the Autobiography of Dale Cooper. See then you realize that the story isn't about Laura Palmer but really about Dale the whole time. It follows him. Also remember that time in the show is not chronologically presented.

2:23 I see those two posters, I don't need anything more than that to take your opinion seriously. I reckon you're a man of great taste

I watched this forte first time 4 years ago immediately after I had finished the series and I hated it because of how jarring the shift in tone was. However, to prepare for the new season, I recently rewatched it and something finally clicked. Somehow everything made sense to me and I was fully able to appreciate how beautiful this film really is. If you feel like you don't really understand or get this movie I implore you to give it a second shot!

Some art isn't meant to be understood. It's a mystery.

@campion95 well said and put together on your review and take of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is spot on. I just subscribed to your channel and keep up the great work! You broke it down great and made it easy to understand and all around great job. I have always been of fan of Fire Walk With Me and I could see for ppl who didn't see the show and not getting it. It is the prequel tho and you get to see what was going on with Laura Palmer before her untimely death. So when I first watched it years ago it put everything in perspective with why she was murdered from her relationship with Leland her dad and the Bob connection. You did a great job on this and ppl that haven't seen this or are deterred cos of "bad review's" which I can't understand with critics, but now critics are changing there tune. I have always liked Lynch's style and work from "Eraserhead" to "Blue Velvet" to "Muholland Drive" nobody can nail a dream sequence to just his cinematography, it's not like any other directors. So great job!

There's nothing more to be said i hope you do other Twin Peaks and David's work because i greatly enjoyed this video. And you are correct on the feeling and love the reference to the new Star Wars movies. Funny enough my most favorite Star Wars movie is Rogue One. It's my fav because how you explained about the characters. I understand Lynch was asked to help create one of the old Star Wars movies and that would have worked so well but unfortunately it didn't happen.

This movie has aged so well. I dare you to go back and watch some of the best reviewed films of 92’, and I guarantee that most are complete shit.

i love david lunch and his movies and really wicked ost,i love his mysterious movies he was just perfect,the key is to watch it more than one time,he was way ahead of his time when you understand it you will love his movies but not everyone is smart enough to get his messages in his films witch are all connected,i have full respect for the man.

I saw this movie for a first time when i was 10, of course i didnt get it, but i was interested which my parents found quite scary and i watch it by accident with them not knowing about it, they found out after i was repeatedly ask them to let me listen over and over both soundtracks they had... Well it was weird time i have to say, but my point is that magic of this movie took almost my entire life, i saw it like a trilion times now, but i did watched the tv show far more in future, and there is the thing, i liked it but not even a 50 procent as much as the movie, there are some scenes where i think somehow the impact was, mainly the whole town under the fog of Laura death, but the movie was giving me a lethal blow after another, as you said, you feel so much for the Laura and its painful to see her cry for help so obviously, but everybody around her just doesnt see it, everybody loves Laura but only for theyr selfish reason, that is the thing i really liked about rest of the characters, they was very human in this sense that they wanted to have her for themselfs, being selfish and not understand what is going on with her, she was running away from those she loved not get them in that dark place she was in... There was many people who didnt understand why she was doing such a selfdestructive things, but being assaulted from her 12, one can only try to do extremes to kill the pain and suffering... Sheryl Lee is a such a great actress, for me she overshadowed everybody from tv show ( i think Cooper is quite unique in its own and im not doing comparsion on him ) and its actually quite a shame that she was the first victim in the show because i wonder what she could become with more time, but still i really liked that the movie was about her and i think that nothing can melt me so much down as the Question of the world of blue scene with the final scene where she is crying in the room with Dale and angel, with that song from Badalamenti that is one of the best emotional scene put on the movie ever... Great review...

This movie isn’t bad; it’s very ambitious. However, the biggest flaw is the tonal shift from Lynch’s surreal style to a classic noir style that is reminiscent of 40s-50s noir movies. The tone goes back and forth which breaks the consistency feel. The movie should’ve commit to one or the other.

Thanks for the review! I agree -- this is one of Lynch's best films, but I see why people don't like it. Without the background on Twin Peaks or seeing it through the lens of Laura Palmer's experience the whole things seems incredibly disjointed. But the genius here is that he creates almost a succession of artistic renderings (almost like paintings) of trauma and the dark side of human nature for the audience to walk through and inhabit. It's hard for me to think of another film that does this as effectively, and it definitely makes other blockbuster films seem emotionally hollow by comparison.

You´re right about it!:)

I loved your video! Fire Walk With Me is in my top 5 favorite films of all time and it's lovely to see a positive and sincere review! What did you think about Twin Peaks:The Return?

I know this video is 3 years old but great video! :). You have a new subscriber 😄😄😄. My sister introduced me to Twin Peaks and now I am hooked😍😍😍. Btw what is the name of your intro song? It is awesome!

The best Twin Peaks has ever been

I first watched Twin Peaks in 2007, loved it. I’ve recently watched the series again, I want to watch Fire walk with me but you can’t stream or buy it digitally in the UK ! If anyone knows where you can please let me know.

❤️ lynch

I don't think it's quite fair to characterize Mark Frost as an "unknown" at the time, he was a tv writer. For example, he was a writer for Hill Street Blues, which was an award-winning TV show. The soap opera aspects of TP were a response to what was on TV generally at the time. Sitcoms with laugh tracks, soap operas, melodramatic tv series like Dallas...it was a very different time and TV was much more contrived and episodic. Soap operas were one of the very few shows to be serialized rather than episodic back then.

Nicely done.

Great review. I liked what you said.

I LOVE this movie and actually watched it before the tv-show and it didn´t matter at all! It was not so difficult to follow...-.-

Is such a great Film Twin Peaks was all about Laura So i love her as a Character.

I first found this film to be very jarring. The first half hour is these characters we've never seen before and this unfamiliar setting so immediately there's a subversion of expectation that creates a level of discomfort, at least for me any way. I'd compare it to looking at other people's high school yearbooks. There's something very eerie about facing a world that you had previously never even pondered. You go in expecting a get together with some old friends only to be alone in a room full of strangers. This applies to the tone as well. It really forces you to face the subject matter that this show was dealing with the whole time. Sure the premise of the show is a murder that involves rape, hard drugs, prostitution, and incest among other things. But you have this chipper, friendly FBI agent who loves coffee and doughnuts guiding you through this world. So for me, it was easy to put those more unnerving aspects in the back of my mind while watching the series. The shift in tone really hit me at first when James and making out with Laura and her towel falls revealing her breasts. Sex as depicted in the show was women wearing the silliest lingerie of all time. If you don't think about it, it's a very adolescent view of sex. Like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition kind of sex. That moment with James was the moment where it really clicked that this was going to be different from the show. It's a very uncomfortable ride. Not a lot of it is new information, you know almost all the details of Laura's death, it's just viewing it isn't easy. Especially coming after the second half of the second season where almost all the side plotlines were the show at its most silly. I felt devastated when Donna was drugged and sexually abused. And seeing Bobby blow a guys brains out felt like a shot in the gut. Leland's madness on the show was often times comical but this film depicts it more straightforward and disturbing. Even when you're past that first half hour and back with the characters you love, they aren't how you remember them and it's a little heartbreaking. This might sounds like I don't like the movie, but I absolutely love the movie. It's torture to watch, but I don't think any other film has been able to evoke such strong emotions out of me. In many ways, it's probably the most effective horror I've ever seen. The fact that it is attached this beloved TV show yet is so different from it, creates this sensation where it's like seeing your family members experience these horrific things and being helpless to stop any of it. And I barely got into any of the Laura stuff which really the backbone of the entire thing and is one of my favorite performances of all time. But yes, very much love this film.

I also feel that Sheryl Lee, A very young actress, is asked to do way too much and carry most of the film. The film feels more like a hammy tear jerker than a david lynch film. As for the cut scenes, most of them are far superior to what was finally added to the film. I suspect the studio wanted a more conventional tearjerker than a confusing david lynch film. They wanted to make a more mainstream movie.

Bravo!

There is no "u" in "Film".

Mark Frost was known mostly in the US [& likely Ontario, BC] for his co-writing of TV shows among them include: "Hill Street Blues" [cop show set in South Side Chicago] that received critical acclaim and EMMy awards. But know that Lynch is a painter who does film and Mark Frost is primarily in TV their relationship began when they were paired to do a project on the Marilyn Monroe Murder Mystery. The project fell through because the network [ABC??] pulled out at the last minute [it's believed owing to politicians who were still alive and serving in Congress who might have intimate knowledge of the murder]. As a result Lynch & Frost decided to recycle the idea and make it a murder mystery of a prom queen [originally] who's murder was not supposed to be solved. ABC exces. forced Lynch and Frost to solve the Laura Palmer murder --unfortunately in the middle of Season 2. This left them at a loss as to what to do next. The other irony was that "TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME" was infact supposed to be a sequel and final resolution to Season 2 and instead evolved into a prequel giving the audience a history of the Palmer Family and who Laura was & how she lived. so it created more unanswered Qs. BUT answered other bigger Qs like why she was murdered in the first place & what a crazy secret life she had and who BOB was and why he killed her. BUT WORSE who BOB possesses to kill Laura--Yep Leland, her dad. It's just too bad the execs at ABC didn't opt for Lynch & Frost's alternate ending of Season 2 where Agent Cooper, Hawk, Philipe Gerard [the 1-armed Man/ Mike] & Sheriff Harry S. Truman confront BOB in the basement of the hospital and Philipe Gerard shoots & kills BOB. this is in the international release only and not for the US. However the 1st 2 seasons of the Deluxe Gold Box have interviews & the ending from the international version included. So, YES. Mark Frost was well known by this point [1989] just not beyond North America.

to all the commenters saying how they hate that FWWM isnt consistent with the series Twin Peaks. DUH! FWWM is Twin Peaks' *DOPLEGANGER!!!!*

That's called symbolism, not everyone understand this kind of narrative, symbolism gave a useless scene a deep meaning. Laura Palmer is a martyr, like Andromeda she choose to be sacrifice to the kraken, and she doesn't do anything to escape. The movie is a battle of power, but her mother is run out of that, her mother has a lot of guilt in this, Laura is a teenager, she is growing, her mother saw the abuse, and she didn't do anything. Lynch gave us a twisted version of The beauty and the beast, Laura is the beauty, and the beast is the attacker, she could called someone to help her, but she wants to save her reputation, and protect her mother. She knew the beast has to die, but she can't face that truth, so she choose the supernatural stuff. she even said the angels abandoned her, because she can't face the truth by her own, one interesting thing is how Laura decided to be in silence about this with everyone. Laura Palmer was a bird trapped in a cage made by her family, she had options, but she choose self destruction, because she decided to waiting for someone, or something to show her the way. In the game Silent Hill 2, Angela Orozco walking into the fire, like a homage to the title "Fire walk with me". Angela sufferend the same kind of abuse, but she choose to kill the beast.

I am not wrong. I like it.

Laura Palmer's SOULWAR=FIRE WALK WITH ME I guarantee you Lynch & Mark Frost KNEW (loosely) how Season 3 would happen BEFORE they shot Season 1 in 1989. SO We now have a LIVING Laura Palmer who has truly SEEN & EXPERIENCED the Nature of Evil ending Season 3 with those memories restored (albeit violently) The Dead Girl we all wondered about & pitied is now ready for the LAST HALF of her Character Arc=Taking on the Demonic Being known as Judy.

Spoiler Alert! The biggest problem I have with FWWM is Leland Palmer. In the series he's a character we sympathize with even after he's revealed to be the killer. In his death scene we're shown a man learning for the first time what he had done and agonizing over it until he dies. In FWWM we see a Leland completely aware of his actions. Bob in the series is possessive demon but Bob in FWWM is treated more like a metaphor. Now one might argue that Lynch needed the demon to make a story about a father who rapes and murders his daughter get onto prime time television in the early 90's but then he shouldn't have gone in the other direction with the movie. I still watch the movie. But really only after I watch the series. I never watch it on its own.

The movie is very much straightforward but there are enough things in it to have a deeper and hidden meaning btw you look like Shawn Mendes

Good video :)

Shows it’s good not to trust critics. It is a film of tragedy but a lot of people wanted the boring humour in season two of Twin Peaks

I mast see you!

I absolutely love Lynch's work!!! can't wait for season 3 2017!!!

Never judge a film by critics reviews

It's litterally my favorit movie

the only people that are "wrong" about the movie are the critics which makes the title kind of pointless since it doesnt apply to majority of the viewers on here i hate this trend of titles that started in 2015. Even you mention that "critics" are wrong about the movie. not *us*

Yes there were things that didn't make sense like the dancing girl but it was interesting. My problem was that it wasn't consistent with the show. spoiler* In the TV show Leo was to have stabbed Renault then laughed at him and used his jean shirt to stop the bleeding hence why Leo has a bloody jean shirt with Jaque's blood on it. Bobby was really relaxed in the tv series for someone who apparently killed a guy a couple of days ago. Also wouldn't the drug suppliers frown on murdering their mules? I think Robert Frost was needed to keep things consistent. The first half hour of the movie was fun seeing the anti twin peaks but it was pointless. It was a bad movie but as Laura says to Bobby "Come ooooon". I'm not mad at it, but it wasn't a complete story it felt like Lynch had a ton of great ideas with no focus. It was funny that they recast Donna, half the time I was like that girl looks like Ronette but she's calling her Donna. Probably should have left Donna out all together if Lara wasn't going to do it. She probably didn't do it because of the nudity. But if you paid attention and watched the show before the movie it's pretty blatant that a lot of details were mishandled.

Its not that the movie is objectively bad for most people its just not as enjoyable as most of the series

👍👍👍👍👍

FWWM is very flawed, but not for the reasons you might think. The trouble with the film is the constant overactive, crying, screaming and carrying on of Laura. It simply descends into melodrama. The best parts are the first 45 minutes and the end. Lynch spent far too much time showing Laura crying and carrying on. This bogs down the film and doesn't add anything to the story. Yes, I feel sympathy for her Laura too, but at 2 hours and 15 minutes, it is just too stretched out.

I came when I saw those Mulholland Drive and Fear and Loathing posters

Philim

I think it is bad stand alone movie, odd pacing and makes No sense without having seen the tv show.

Critics who don't realize that David Lynch is genius should be exiled to planet Creamed Corn. American teenagers who realize that Star Wars is artificial, are right. Therefore FWWM is a great piece of art.

Eh, I just saw it FWWM for the first time a week ago and I thought it was pretty bad. I've seen all of Twin Peaks and I love David Lynch, but FWWM was just so pointless. The movie would make zero sense to anyone who hasn't seen the show, and those who have seen the show already know the entire story of Laura Palmer in excruciating detail. I wish Lynch had just focused the entire movie on the Teresa Banks investigation - those scenes had a great vibe. But I am glad that Lynch and Frost are taking FWWM's revelations and tying them into the plot of Season 3. It makes the film an important part of the series as a whole, even if it doesn't stand well on its own.

the first 30 minutes are good. The other is bad.

This was hardly a review much less an analysis

1:40 lmfao

Re the movie being confusing: life would be confusing in the same fluid, frightening way if we didn't simplify it with words and shared beliefs. Lynch shows us the strange beauty of what is still there, whether we avoid knowing about it or not. Fecundity is terrifying, but it is still our mother, from whence we are born. I love David Lynch for his beauty and courage, his aching humor, and of course, his hair. Added later: but I was a strong flyer when I used to take LSD, and several times carried people lost in bummers to safety on my (metaphorical) back. Or as a shrink would say, high ambiguity tolerance? That makes it safe and sterile, doesn't it?

No no no no no no! You are right about everything, but you must yank this video immediately and re-edit. You give away far too much at the 4:52 and everything fro FWWM after the 6:00 mark. New viewers will be spoiled, and that's not necessary, nor what you intend, nor ever desirable.

filim

But the acting and dialogue were so clunky and terrible that it completely threw me off of even taking it seriously as a film... I mean, just look at the very first shot/scene the film opens with- Lynch himself poorly delivering a line with average sound design. Came off as goofy- I was genuinely caught off guard by it. I was surprised by the fact that not only did he leave that scene in the final product, but decided to open with it. Seemed to set the tone for what was to be expected in the rest of the film. Are you sure Lynch didn't just fold it in for this one and throw some quirk in there to simply uphold his reputation for making 'strange and bizarre' films?

Twin Peaks TV series was Amazing, great humour, atmosphere, great characters. In my opinion, Fire Walk With Me was a pointless movie for many different reasons, one reason is that Dale Cooper was a bubbly and enjoyable character to watch, in FWWM he's more darker and his character is completely different and not nearly as interesting. another thing that bothers me is that almost all the locations look so different from the TV series, and that some key characters from the TV series are on screen for a very short time, and when I watch FWWM I miss Pete, Katherine Martell, Ben and Audrey Horne, the Sheriff, Andy, Hawk and others, because none of them are in this movie, and how does Dale Cooper appear in the red room, when he doesn't visit Twin Peaks until one year later, Fire Walk With Me is a mess, I'd rather the TV series, Great review though! : )

One of the worst movies I've ever seen that contains the greatest performance from ANY actress that I've ever seen. That is it saving grace.

I wasn't wrong, your conclusion is redundant and obvious. It's just fu..... boring experience - the whole twin peaks thing shoud be stoppend somewhere in the middle of season 2.

Huge Peaks fan. I hated this movie man, the charm of the show is lost here and I get it, it supposed to be horrifying, but Twin Peaks was a multi genre show not this mess of a movie.

No. The critics gave the movie a bad review because the movie really Really REALLY SUUUUCKS...

Hated this movie

Still the worst movie I’ve ever seen

I think you nailed it with this review. I too when I first saw the movie wasn't sure what to think. It was too different from the show. It was more like Lynch's other movies which makes total sense.