I was in a coffee shop in Los Feliz the other day, and I got stuck on an idea. It’s a story that’s personal to me, one that deals with some heavy themes, and I found myself wrestling with a question: how much of a “message” should I be trying to send? And how much should just be my story? We all want our work to matter. But how do you do that without sacrificing the story? Luckily for me, David Lynch has some advice. Let's dive in. Art and Activism It feels like David Lynch had an answer for everything. And while I miss his movies, I miss him as a person more. When I was looking for the answers to my questions, I came across this clip of him, which really hit home for me.In the video, Lynch is asked about activism in his work. And while he doesn't give a simple "yes" or "no" answer, his response is so Lynchian. He essentially argues that the artist's job is to be true to the art, not to a cause — that when you start with a message, you're already putting a filter on your creativity. You're not exploring, you're preaching.And he’s right.The films that really stick with us don't do it by beating us over the head with an overt political statement. They do it by telling a great story. Look at a movie like Parasite. Is it a searing critique of class inequality? Absolutely. But it’s also a...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday