Darkened Room

Against the backdrop of an ever-increasing sense of dread, David Lynch's post-Mulholland Dr. (2001) and pre-Inland Empire (2006) short film employs Mulholland's prevailing notions at an embryonic stage: mysterious places, equally cryptic roommates (both brunettes and blondes), pain, and tears. Using his hand-held DV camera, David Lynch captures the strange connection between a Japanese woman in her Tokyo flat; a crying blonde with runny mascara; an unsympathetic brunette; a menacing man behind her, and ripe bananas in grainy and unsettling extreme close-ups. What is the secret of the darkened room? —Nick Riganas