Lynch/Oz

A person holds a broken mirror, with reflections of their face and hands visible in the shards

The themes, images, and cultural vernacular of Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz continue to haunt David Lynch’s filmography—from his early short The Alphabet to his recent television series Twin Peaks: The Return. Arguably, no filmmaker has so consistently drawn inspiration—consciously or unconsciously—from a single work. Is Lynch trapped in the Land of Oz? If so, what can we learn about his body of work by taking a closer look at how it intersects and communicates with that legendary fantasy? In turn, what do Lynch’s films have to say about the enduring resonance of one of America’s most beloved classics?

Told through six distinct perspectives and narrated by leading voices in contemporary cinema, Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary Lynch/Oz helps us reexperience and reinterpret The Wizard of Oz, in order to deliver a whole new appreciation for Lynch’s symbolism.

Part of our "Doc Spots" series. Courtesy of Janus Films.