A Review (SPOILERS)
Thought I'd try something different today from my usual entries. Rather than a a general blogpost talking about things going on, this is going to be a review of the film Blue Velvet. I just watched it today and have a lot of thoughts about it that I'd like to get out. If you have not seen the film, I urge you to stop reading this and watch it yourself, as this review may contain spoilers. (I don't know, I haven't written it yet, but it probably will.) I am also not going to provide a content warning for spoilers' sake, as I really only want you to read this if you have already seen the film and know the contents, so PLEASE do not read this if you have not seen it.
Intro
Blue Velvet is a film by David Lynch, who recently passed away. This news was rather upsetting to me, as I am a fan of his and I think he was an absolutely gifted individual. I have not seen many of his works, but aim to rectify that. So far, I have seen Twin Peaks (all 3 seasons), What did Jack do? (short film), and now Blue Velvet. If you know anything about his work, you likely have heard how surreal and unusual it typically is. I think this can be sometimes exaggerated, but largely true in the way that most of his works have some degree of abnormality to them.
Tone and Atmosphere
I cannot talk about Blue Velvet without talking about the tone and atmosphere this film cultivates almost immediately upon the film starting. The first shot of the film is of an older man, who we learn is the father of our protagonist Jeffery, watering his lawn with a garden hose and immediately undergoing some form of a medical incident. This scene is distressing and unpleasant, with the sights and sounds being jarring and immediately set a hostile and uncomfortable tone, which the film will rarely let up on. Throghout the entire runtime of the film, I was both completely enraptured, and also tense. At times I had to stop my body from physically shaking from how powerful some of the scenes were. Lynch is able to establish such a real sense of stakes and danger in this film, in a way I am not accustomed to. He uses these shots that range from slightly unnerving to wholly chilling. The entire film is shot so deliberately and every scene does wonders at conveying exactly what it aims to. Even during the scenes where the characters themselves found respite, I found myself anxiously anticipating the imminent danger present. Familiar locations which felt innocuous earlier in the film become some of the most tense and climactic parts of the film. The dark staiwell outside of Dorothy's apartment building was one of the most distressing locations for me, every time I saw it, as it felt like an omen of things to come, with how frequently it was used.
Sexuality
Now that we are about to talk about it, if you made it this far, CW for sexual assault/abuse.
The way sexuality is represented in this film is very evocative and handled with tact and maturity in my opinion. The characters all largely have such rich and unique ways that they interact with their sexuality, and it often ties further into their characterization which I will talk more about later. One of the most powerful and important scenes in the entire film is when Jeffery is discovered by Dorothy, hiding in her closet. The scene explores so many angles of sexuality all back to back in a jarring, uncomfortable, scary, and yet beautiful way. The three characters present during the entirety of that scene are all represented wildly differently in terms of the way they interact with sexuality and how that is reflected in who they are as people. Jeffery and Frank are both more simple to understand. Jeffery, a young college man, is shown being confused, replying that he does not even know what he wants when asked by Dorothy. He finds himself here, in way over his head, and he does know what he is even looking for from Dorothy. Frank on the other hand, is immediately established to be abusive, and deeply mentally twisted, which is represented in his sexuality in multiple ways. He demands not to be looked it, refers to himself as a baby, and is clearly in immese distress, even though he is the one in the position of power. The showcase of his sexual preferences are not meant to portray these sexual preferences in a way that condemns them, but rather to get a glimpse into the mind of the character. I could understand someone thinking that putting these traits on a villainous character could be taken as kinkshaming, but I do not believe this is the case. Obviously being abusive is not an acceptable aspect of Frank's sexuality, but I think the other aspects of his sexuality are not being used to villify, but rather portray the complexity of his psyche, and perhaps lend some context to why he does such evil things during the course of the film. This man is someone who is deeply twisted in all aspects, and this manifests in, and is demonstrated by his sexual abuse of Dorothy. His actions towards her are meant to be condemned, but in those instances, there is much to be learned about his mind. Dorothy's sexuality is also rather complicated and grants us a distinct look into her mind. In all of her sexual encounters, she is constantly being abused and hurt, so when she is with Jeffery, she demands that he hurt her, which he is not interested in doing. This manifests in another moment later in the film, where Jeffery impulsively does give in and strike her, which he feels regret over and is seen crying about in a later scene. These scenes simultaneously serve to demonstrate Jeffery's heroic and pure nature, contrasted by the depth of evil and malice enacted by Frank. Despite this, the scenes do not simply use Dorothy as a means to develop these characters, but also herself, as she has a rich and complex emotional profile throughout the film.
Characterization
As discussed in the previous section, sexuality plays a massive role in establishing who these characters are and helping to bring them to life. In addition to this though, there are also other key scenes that do this. Frank gets multiple scenes in which music evokes an immense emotional reaction from him, showing some of his only moments of vulnerability throughout the entire film. These scenes further serve to show the complexity of Frank's psyche, rather than presenting him as just a one-note evildoer. Great lengths are gone to in order to properly flesh out his motivations and sensibilities. Jeffery, as well, is constantly characterized effectively and subtly throughout the film. One scene that is especially powerful is the scene where Sandy is recounting her dream about robins and their representation of love after Jeffery laments the existence of people like Frank. Perhaps the most unique and difficult to pin down charecter in this film is Dorothy. She is mysterious, afraid, desperate, and even scary at times, but ultimately, she has this remarkable allure that Jeffery is drawn to. He feels compelled to help her out of this situation, partly because of the heroic aspects of his personality, but also because he feels a strange, distinct attraction to this character. Even after escaping a dangerous encounter, he returns to her home, time and time again, even putting himself in harm's way. She is presented as a rather strong character, but one without agency to save herself, due to the steadfast hold Frank has on her life. She is shown to be a devoted mother, enduring hardships for her son.
Visuals and Dreams
The visuals in this film add immensely to the maintenence of atmosphere throughout the film. I remember a quote from Lynch talking about how using a lot of black in a shot can enhance its dreamlike quality, and finding depth in the blackness. This film does exactly that, using color very deliberately, and its absence even moreso. The film has several dreamlike scenes that look distinct and unusual. Some scenes have unnerving editing choices like rather than showing characters leving, they simply blink out of existence, and the shot is held on the scene without them present. Certain times, a harsh cut is used to represent a character waking up, making certain scenes feel like they could have been dreams. The concept of dreams are also explored in the aforementioned interaction between Sandy and Jeffery. Dreams are not especially central to the themes of this film, but are rather utilized to enhance certain moments and evoke specific things. There are a number of interesting and compelling shots in the film, dreamlike or otherwise.
Conclusion
Blue Velvet is a remarkable film that demonstrates mastery of the medium. The narrative is elegantly simple to follow, while being engaging and gripping from start to finish. The atmosphere and acting performances are some things to be distinctly praised, as well as the shot composition and editing. This film is a must watch for any fans of cinema, David Lynch, or even artistic expression.
Afterword
This was my first time writing a film review, and my first time doing anything other than a standard blog post. If you read this, thank you! Let me know what you thought and if you'd like more of this. I really enjoyed this film and will likely be thinking about it for days straight. It was incredibly exhausting to watch, as it demanded all of my focus for the entire runtime. I wrote most of this in a stream of consciousness style spew of my thoughts and feelings, so if anything is jumbled or bad, please forgive me. This is not meant to be a comprehensive review, but rather the experiences I had while watching it and what I took away.
I think that's all I have for you today.
-Jake Spondulio
(I don't think I am going to put a site of the day on reviews. I don't know, feels weird)
