David Lynch's Rabbits

[Kirkman1987]

"In a nameless city, deluged by a continuous rain, three rabbits live with a fearful mystery."

Anyone here seen Lynch's Rabbits shorts?

Episode 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qWIlgemp9k

I was up really late tonight and happened upon these on youtube. These shorts really affected me in a number of ways. As soon as it opened, I laughed at the absurdity of the whole thing. As dark as Rabbits is, there is humor in both it's absurdity and the sit-com satire that runs throughout. As it ran on though, I became very unnerved at the creepy world the characters inhabit.

If anything, Rabbits is a textbook example of building tension effectively. Lynch is famous for building atmospere, and that's really what Rabbits is all about. I like that about it. No plot, no conventions, just pure emotional charge and mystery.

I'm sure many would find Rabbits pretentious, and I couldn't argue with that viewpoint . I can't think of something more pretentious really than an arty Lynch film about human/rabbit people who walk around a room speaking cryptically as canned laughter and applause plays. that said however, I think Rabbits has some very interesting things to say, if not narratively, then about filmaking itself.

So, anyone else seen Rabbits? Also, with this and Donnie Darko, are actual Rabbits getting a bad rap?

 

[Kryton]

It's not the rabbits themselves so much as the company they keep.

 

[Goliath]

I've never seen the actual short films, but I do remember the Rabbits from Inland Empire. Unfortunately, that's the one David-Lynch film I've never been able to sit through.

 

[Pingfah]

^ I just trying to muster the enthusiasm to attempt it actually. I aways love his films once I get into them, but it's quite daunting knowing you are going into a 3 hour long experience which may or may not make any sense whatsoever.

And when there's a backlog of mindless action and horror movies to be caught up on it's too tempting to take the easy option.

 

[Kirkman1987]

It's not the rabbits themselves so much as the company they keep.

Dick Cheney, Right?

 

[Kryton]

Mmmm...could be, rabbit. Could be.

Actually I just love the expression on Bush's face...like a mildly-besotted Elwood P. Dowd.

 

[sidious618]

I've seen them and they are both hilarious and disturbing. I've yet to watch Inland Empire, though.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

It must be great to be David Lynch. Just throw any random shit at us, and we'll think it's brilliant. The secret is to be both weird and boring. The boredom is painful to sit through, so to justify sitting through it, the audience is forced to conclude that it is brilliant! Simple, yet effective. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before now?

 

[Kirkman1987]

It must be great to be David Lynch. Just throw any random shit at us, and we'll think it's brilliant. The secret is to be both weird and boring. The boredom is painful to sit through, so to justify sitting through it, the audience is forced to conclude that it is brilliant! Simple, yet effective. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before now?

His daily weather reports do lend some credibility to your theory, and he charges $10 a month for subscription to his website which barely has content is a crime as well (not a member)but I find most of his work very pleasing.

Do you dislike all his work, or just the really out there stuff? What do you think of something a bit more conventional like Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, or the Elephant Man?

 

[sidious618]

It must be great to be David Lynch. Just throw any random shit at us, and we'll think it's brilliant. The secret is to be both weird and boring. The boredom is painful to sit through, so to justify sitting through it, the audience is forced to conclude that it is brilliant! Simple, yet effective. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before now?

I don't know, I thought that Rabbits was pretty engrossing.

 

[Hugo Rune]

I've been wanting to see these shorts after being utterly creeped out by segements included in Inland Empire. In the film they're an interesting addition mocking the shocking decline of the US TV, so seeing them in actual context would be fascinating.

I'm not sure if the segments actually add anything particularly contextual to the film, other than helping sustain the mood and fear projected into me. I'm not sure if Inland Empire is a great Lynch story, but it is his finest mood piece. The last time I was scared by a film was The Exorcist when I was 13 years old. Empire unsettled the living nonesense out of me! So the film gets major kudos for that alone.


Hugo - I figured one day I'd just wake up and and find out what the hell yesterday was all about. I'm not too keen on thinkin' about tommorow. And today's slipping by