David Lynch: the filmmaker with singular vision who believed that ‘no one really dies’

The hours since the death of artist and film director David Lynch on January 16 have seen a huge outpouring of love. Tributes have come from those who worked with him, including actors Kyle MacLachlan and Naomi Watts, and other directors such as Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Edgar Wright. But they’ve also come from his legion of fans, who have taken to social media to share personal stories of how his films have profoundly touched their lives. From his debut feature Eraserhead (1977), Lynch revealed himself as a filmmaker with a unique and singular vision. Describing the film as “a dream of dark and troubling things”, Lynch drew from his background in painting and experimental film. The slight narrative provided an opening into a strange new world that followed a twisted dream logic but still seemed familiar. Lynch was renowned for his steadfast refusal to provide answers as to what his films mean. When asked in a Bafta interview to elaborate on his claim that Eraserhead is his “most spiritual film”, for example, Lynch abruptly answered: “No.” In his book Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity (2006), Lynch wrote: “The world in the film is a created one, and people sometimes love going into that world. For them that world is real. And if people find out certain things about how something was done, or how this means this or that means that, the next time that see the film, these things enter into the experience.” While Lynch marked himself as a true auteur, whose films express a very specific and personal worldview, there is space for each audience member to bring their own dreams and desires into the viewing experience. Perhaps this is why his work inspires such devotion as his fans become attached to the work, filling the gaps in meaning with parts of themselves.