The post-perspectival: Screens and time in David Lynch's Inland Empire

Abstract

Taking Anne Friedberg's notion of the post-perspectival as the point of departure for her analysis of David Lynch's digitally shot and edited Inland Empire from 2006, Anne Jerslev argues that the film deconstructs continuous time and coherent space by constructing multiple planes of representation, multiple layerings of screens and, hence, multiple and fractured modes of perception. The article further suggests that the film's enigmatic structure might best be understood with reference to a new media genre like the website with its hyperlink structure. Finally, the article discusses how a sense of ubiquitous surveillance coalesces with the screen logic. © 2012 A. Jerslev.