Inland Empire (2006)
Drama, Mystery, Thriller |.
Inland Empire is a film written, directed and co-produced by David Lynch. The film’s cinematography, editing, score and sound design were also helmed by Lynch, with pieces by a variety of other musicians also featured. Lynch’s longtime collaborator and then-wife Mary Sweeney co-produced the film. The cast includes such Lynch regulars as Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton, and Grace Zabriskie, as well as Jeremy Irons, Karolina Gruszka, Peter J. Lucas, Krzysztof Majchrzak, and Julia Ormond. There are also brief appearances by a host of additional actors, including Nastassja Kinski, Laura Harring, Terry Crews, Mary Steenburgen, and William H. Macy. The voices of Harring, Naomi Watts, and Scott Coffey are included in excerpts from Lynch’s 2002 Rabbits online project. The title borrows its name from a metropolitan area in Southern California.
Released with the tagline “A Woman in Trouble”, the film follows the fragmented and nightmarish events surrounding a Hollywood actress (Dern) who begins to take on the personality of a character she plays in a film. An international co-production between the United States, France, and Poland, the film was completed over a three-year period and shot primarily in Los Angeles and Poland. The process marked several firsts for Lynch: the film was shot without a finished screenplay, instead being largely developed on a scene-by-scene basis; and it was shot entirely in low-resolution digital video by Lynch himself using a handheld Sony camcorder rather than traditional film stock.
In a hotel room, a young prostitute, identified in the credits as the “Lost Girl”, cries following an unpleasant encounter with her client while watching a television show about a family of surrealistic anthropomorphic rabbits who speak in cryptic statements and questions. A gramophone plays Axxon N., “the longest-running radio play in history”. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, actress Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) auditions for the lead role in the film On High in Blue Tomorrows. Nikki is visited by a Polish woman (Grace Zabriskie) who claims to be her neighbor. The woman tells Nikki two stories: one of a boy who, looking at his reflection in a mirror, created evil, and another about a girl who, wandering through an alleyway behind a marketplace, “discovers a palace”. The woman predicts that Nikki will get the role, and asks her if her character is married and if the plot involves murder. Nikki denies both, but her neighbor disagrees. The next day, Nikki celebrates having won the role as her husband Piotrek (Peter J. Lucas) watches her.
Director: David Lynch
Writer: David Lynch
Stars: Karolina Gruszka, Krzysztof Majchrzak, Grace Zabriskie, Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton, Jeremy Irons
Cast:
| Karolina Gruszka | … | Lost Girl |
| Krzysztof Majchrzak | … | Phantom |
| Grace Zabriskie | … | Visitor #1 |
| Laura Dern | … | Nikki Grace / Susan Blue |
| Jan Hencz | … | Janek (as Jan Hench) |
| Ian Abercrombie | … | Henry the Butler |
| Karen Baird | … | Servant |
| Bellina Logan | … | Linda |
| Peter J. Lucas | … | Piotrek Krol |
| Amanda Foreman | … | Tracy |
| Jeremy Irons | … | Kingsley Stewart |
| Justin Theroux | … | Devon Berk / Billy Side |
| Harry Dean Stanton | … | Freddie Howard |
| Cameron Daddo | … | Devon Berk’s Manager |
| Jerry Stahl | … | Devon Berk’s Agent |
| John T. Churchill | … | 1st A.D. Chuck Ross (as John Churchill) |
| Phil DeSanti | … | 2nd A.D. Tim Hurst |
| Chamonix Bosch | … | 3rd A.D. Sally Irwin |
| Sara Glaser | … | Script Supervisor Ellen Thomas |
| Neil Dickson | … | Producer |
| Diane Ladd | … | Marilyn Levens |
| Edward St. George | … | Hair Stylist |
| Melissa Lowndes | … | Marilyn Levens’ Assistant |
| Jeremy Alter | … | Stage Manager |
| Marsha Lewis | … | Marilyn Levens’ Hair Stylist |
| William H. Macy | … | Announcer |
| Austin Jack Lynch | … | Devon Berk’s Driver (as Austin Lynch) |
| Jason Weinberg | … | Nikki Grace’s Manager |
| Heidi Bivens | … | Devon Berk’s Wardrobe Assistant |
| Randy Johnson | … | Studio Security Guard #1 |
| Duncan K. Fraser | … | Studio Security Guard #2 |
| Stanislaw Kazimierz Cybulski | … | Mr. Zydowicz |
| Henryka Cybulski | … | Mrs. Zydowicz |
| Julia Ormond | … | Doris Side |
| Robert Charles Hunter | … | Detective Hutchinson |
| Ewa Jerzykowski | … | Head Manservant |
| Scott Andrew Ressler | … | Camera Operator (as Scott Ressler) |
| Emily Stofle | … | Lanni |
| Kristen Kerr | … | Lori |
| Jordan Ladd | … | Terri |
| Terryn Westbrook | … | Chelsi |
| Jamie Eifert | … | Sandi |
| Michelle Renea | … | Kari |
| Kat Turner | … | Dori (as Kathryn Turner) |
| Adam Zdunek | … | Man on Street |
| Erik Crary | … | Mr. K |
| Khai Dattoli | … | Tammi (as Mikhaila Aaseng) |
| Wendy Rhodes | … | Salli |
| Stanley Kamel | … | Koz Kakawski |
| Marek Zydowicz | … | Gordy |
| Michal Korolko | … | Circus Man #1 |
| Kazimierz Suwala | … | Circus Man #2 |
| Alfredo Ponce | … | Circus Man #3 |
| Bryson Lang | … | Circus Man #4 |
| Janusz Hetman | … | Circus Man #5 |
| Michal Stopowski | … | Circus Man #6 |
| Dominiya Grudzka | … | Woman #1 |
| Pawel Kubisiak | … | Man #1 |
| Dominika Biernat | … | Woman #1 (voice) (as Dominika Bievnet) |
| Marcin Brzozowski | … | Man #1 (voice) (as Brzozowski Marcin) |
| Scout Alter | … | Billy Side’s Son |
| Alexi Yulish | … | Doctor |
| Lou Buchignani | … | Billy Side’s Butler |
| Mary Steenburgen | … | Visitor #2 |
| Marek Szmigiel | … | Janek’s Driver |
| Leon Niemczyk | … | Marek |
| Józef Zbiróg | … | Darek |
| Marian Stanislawski | … | Franciszek |
| Charlene Harding | … | Roxi |
| Suzete Belouin | … | Mandi (as Suzette Belouin) |
| Lisa Dengler-Eaton | … | Club Dancer |
| Gail Greaves | … | Bartender |
| Joseph L. Altruda | … | Bassist (as Joseph Altruda) |
| Jay P. Work | … | Saxophonist |
| William K. McNeil | … | Drummer (as William McNeil) |
| Carolina Cerisola | … | Club Backstage Girl |
| Leah Morelli | … | Carolina |
| Helena Chase | … | Street Person #1 |
| Terry Crews | … | Street Person #3 |
| Nae | … | Street Person #2 |
| Kris Kane | … | Nikki Grace’s Wardrobe Assistant |
| Michelle Clark | … | Make-Up Artist |
| Brandon Reinhardt | … | Smithy’s Son |
| Tracy Ashton | … | The Marine’s Sister |
| Masuimi Max | … | Niko |
| Dominiquie Vandenberg | … | Trainyard Worker (as Domeniquie Vandenberg) |
| Penny Hintz | … | Teacher |
| Nick 13 | … | Archaeologist |
| Keith Kjarval | … | Lumberjack |
| Monique Cash | … | Lead Dancer |
| Latrina Bolger | … | Dancing Girl #1 |
| Fulani Bahati | … | Dancing Girl #2 |
| Ashley Calloway | … | Dancing Girl #3 |
| Erynn Dickerson | … | Dancing Girl #4 |
| Jovonie Leonard | … | Dancing Girl #5 |
| Nastassja Kinski | … | The Lady |
| Jennifer Locke | … | Dancing Girl #6 |
| Laura Harring | … | Party Guest / Jane Rabbit |
| Scott Coffey | … | Jack Rabbit (voice) |
| Naomi Watts | … | Suzie Rabbit (voice) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia