Wild at Heart

"The Wizard of Oz”, Elvis Presley, fierce witches, and a singing Nicolas Cage in a splendid commemoration of David Lynch.

In tribute to the late David Lynch, who passed away on 16 January, let’s embark on one of the most savage road trips in California. The Cannes Palm D’Or-winning thriller is arguably the most accessible of Lynch’s visually surreal films. It’s also the only film in which David Lynch cast Nicolas Cage as the lead and gave him the playful nickname “the Nickster”. Apparently, Lynch stalked Cage, watching the actor’s earlier performances until he was convinced by Norman Jewison’s “Moonstruck”.

After being released from prison for manslaughter, Sailor runs away with Lula, the love of his life (Lynch reunites with Laura Dern after “Blue Velvet”). However, Lula’s manipulative and crazy mother Marietta ardently dreams of destroying their relationship at any cost. The vengeful, obsessed woman hires cruel enforcers, together with her long-time lover and private detective Farragut (Harry Dean “What the hell?” Stanton, one of Lynch’s favourites). They will stop at nothing to track down the happy couple. Even the lover’s partner in crime, Bobby Peru (a wicked Willem Dafoe as we’ve rarely seen him), develops a sinister plan to test the power of their love.