In Transcending Lynch, Marcos Andrade follows filmmaker David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive) on his "Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity" book tour through Brazil. Lynch soldiers through a tight schedule of college speaking tours, bookstore signings and even visits a reform school for teenage boys -- all to massive audiences with feverish clamour. He speaks about his experiences with Transcendental Meditation (TM), a practice taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who came to Hollywood in the 1950s and whose concepts of "dynamic peace" counts Lynch, members of the Beatles and Mia Farrow among its believers.
Two things emerge from the film. First, the infectious enthusiasm that Brazil has for Lynch. It's difficult to listen to their effusive praise and not remember that sometimes when watching Lynch's films it feels like anything is possible. But at a Lynch Q&A in the States, you're far more likely to be treated to a mic hog talking about how smart they are than to hear someone gush that Lynch's films saved their life and that he is their hero.
The other, far less fortunate message of the film is how unimpressive Lynch's pitch for TM is. After 20+ years of practice, he's low on examples of the tangible differences its created in his life but high on platitudes and charming-but-empty metaphors about fishing, milkshakes and talking to pretty girls.
Andrade freely admits he comes to this subject as a devout believer in TM and an ardent fan of David Lynch. Transcending Lynch is a film with low ambition. Little more than a travelogue, it boasts eye-scalding admiration of its subject. One doesn't walk away with any new knowledge of Lynch or TM, but it's clear Andrade had a lot of fun shadowing his idol for a week. Andrade's techniques as a filmmaker have a parallel lack of purpose, adding Lynch-ian flourishes to low-tech film-making (a scene played backwards, classical music swollen to highlight the equal grandness and absurdity of a massive book signing, Donovan Leitch filmed backstage prior to a gig in menacing lowlight).
It will be interesting to see how viewers react to Transcending Lynch in comparison to David Wants to Fly, which premieres later this month at Hot Docs in Toronto. David Wants to Fly, made by a film-maker with a less successful experience with something that seems similar to TM, is a great deal more critical of Lynch's participation in the business of TM evangelism. I have a hard time getting too worked up over a bunch of bored college kids being lured into spending their parents' money trying to buy their way into being a cool, edgy artist (in fact, it's its own form of transcendentalism for me). But who doesn't enjoy seeing the fanboys get worked into a lather?
Transcending Lynch will screen at the San Francisco International Film Festival April 22 - May 6.
I want to like David Lynch. I want to take him seriously. But every time I see him, I'm mesmerized by his hair!
Posted by: M. Carter @ the Movies | April 29, 2010 at 01:13 PM