Blue Velvet (1986) | agoodmovietowatch

Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans

Blue Velvet ICYMI9.2 1986 Movie

Blue Velvet

Dir. David Lynch · United States of America · English

An utterly bizarre detective story that makes an even better fever dream than simply a film

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Our take by Savina Petkova

David Lynch’s star-studded provocation Blue Velvet was both revered and criticised upon its release because of how heavily it leans on sexuality and violence to advance its plot, but today the film’s hailed as a contemporary masterpiece. Still, scenes with that kind of content are quite hard to stomach in combination with Isabella Rossellini’s depiction of an unstable, delicate singer named Dorothy. But Dorothy is surely not in Kansas anymore… It takes a young college student (Jeffrey Beaumont played by Kyle McLachlan) who becomes fascinated with her as part of his self-appointed detective quest, to uncover deep-rooted conspiracies. In his endeavours, Jeffrey is joined by butter blonde Sandy (Laura Dern), and the twisted love triangle they form with Dorothy in the middle is one for the ages. Dennis Hooper stars as one of the most terrifying men on screen and Lynch regular Angelo Badalamenti scores the film with an eerie precision like no other. 

What happens

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

What the critics said

Notable Critics

"The charged erotic atmosphere makes the film something of a hallucination, but Lynch's humor keeps breaking through, too."

— Pauline Kael

"Every viewing yields new insights. A berserko modern classic."

— David Jenkins

More about it

What happens

College boy Jeffrey (Kyle McLachlan) finds a severed ear and decides to act as a detective until he uncovers things he wish he didn't.

What sets it apart

“I don’t know if you are a detective or a pervert!” says Sandy after Jeffrey reveals his plan to spy on Dorothy in her own apartment. What follows is perhaps the most arresting entanglement of creepy and hot a David Lynch film sequence can be. McLachlan is shy, crouching in the tight space of a closet, his performance pacing the breaths; meanwhile, Rossellini's soft presence takes a mere second to harden into suspicion as soon as she hears a sound. She grabs a gun, screams. Then: Fear! Submission! Desire! A wondrous examination of ambivalent desires, between the gun and her velvet gown, this scene distills what is ineffable about this film's strange, dreamy world.

TL;DR

Safe to use this as prep for Twin Peaks

Awards

Oscars

1 nom

Nominated: Best Director

Golden Globes

2 noms

Nominated: Best ScreenplayNominated: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

Spirit Awards

1 win · 6 noms

Won: Best Female LeadNominated: Best CinematographyNominated: Best DirectorNominated: Best FeatureNominated: Best Female LeadNominated: Best Male LeadNominated: Best Screenplay

WGA

1 nom

Nominated: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

NYFCC

3 noms

Nominated: Best CinematographerNominated: Best DirectorNominated: Best Film

LAFCA

2 wins · 2 noms

Won: Best DirectorWon: Best Supporting ActorNominated: Best PictureNominated: Best Screenplay

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About the author

Savina Petkova

Savina Petkova

Savina Petkova, PhD, is a Bulgarian film critic and curator based in London whose work has appeared in Sight and Sound, Variety, Little White Lies, Cineuropa, and MUBI Notebook. She is the Programming Lead for Cambridge Film Festival and a senior editor at Talking Shorts, with a focus on contemporary European cinema.