David Lynch catalyzes the story of his film Blue Velvetby having the protagonist, played by Kyle MacLachlan, find a human ear in a field. That image, Lynch once told an interviewer, was actually one of his initial inspirations for the movie—it attracted him, he said, because the earhole is a gateway to the mind.
Lynch’s remarks pretty much sum up not only the career he's made of messing with audiences' heads, but also the deep strangeness of this 1986 cult classic. The plot of the surreal, noir mystery follows MacLachlan’s character as he tries to solve the case of the dismembered ear in his ever-dingier-seeming hometown. Along the way he encounters characters—in both senses of the word—played by Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, and Dennis Hopper (in one of his most memorable roles, as the demented Frank Booth). Watch a trailer below.
The movie ain’t exactly kid-friendly—but attending Tuesday’s screening of it is. That’s because the Portland Monthly-and Tonkin FIAT-presented showing on November 13 at Cinema 21 isabenefit for local arts-focused school Northwest Academy. Think of the children!
This contest is now closed.
You can purchase tickets here for $15 in advance and $17 on the day of the show.
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