Now, Michael Lidstone's study "Old World Politics, New World Prophecy: Understanding David Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE" tries to unlock some of the puzzles at the heart of the movie. What is the significance of the film's strange obsession with animals ("I like dogs. I used to raise rabbits…") and "Polish-Gypsy folktales?" Why does Laura Dern's character Nikki Grace/Sue Blue pass through several doorways inscribed with the mysterious letters "AXXoNN"? What is the "unpaid bill" referred to by Grace Zabriskie's character in the ominous opening scene?
With impressive detective work, Lidstone uncovers some of the Roma mythology that apparently inspired INLAND EMPIRE, takes a stab at the metaphorical meaning of the title, and finds a surprising explanation for "AXXoNN" in the alphanumeric symbols of Russian folklorist Vladimir Propp. There are several lucid ah-ha moments here, shedding welcome light on some of the more obscure corners of the movie.
The 38-page paper, which is available on Amazon as ebook, begins with solid groundwork -- it comes with a bibliography referencing both Lynch's book on meditation, Catching the Big Fish, and American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland's 1891 volume on Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling, but Lidstone's argument grows tenuous in the final section, "INLAND EMPIRE Revealed." He continues to raise interesting questions, but none of the supplied evidence necessarily leads to the conclusion that "INLAND EMPIRE is a prophetic warning against a descent into fascim, the rise and fall of a future America 4th Reich, nuclear war and even the Biblical 'day of the lord.'"
In an afterword, Lidstone concedes that "most of the film's power can be found in the experience… The best moments of the film cannot be put in words." Even though "Old World Politics, New World Prophecy" ultimately falls short of its promise to "explain" INLAND EMPIRE, Lynch fanatics will find it a welcome addition to the growing body of work tackling his most baffling movie.
