Director: David Lynch Eraserhead is a strange and beautiful film from director David Lynch that tells the story of Henry (John Nance) who marries Mary X (Charlotte Stewart) and has her move in with him after inadvertently impregnating her during a fling. Sounds straightforward enough, right? Well, their child is far from normal. In fact, it resembles a grotesque lizard and spends a good amount of the film wailing uncontrollably, which would seem bizarre were it not for the abnormal atmosphere and fantastical events that engulf the narrative. The aforementioned infant is featured heavily throughout the film, tormenting its father with unbearable noises and strange visions. In fact, as the film goes on, you begin to grow accustomed to the sight of the child. You might even accept it as something rather ordinary, or even mundane. Thats the beauty of Eraserhead; theres a twisted logic that pervades the film, a logic that you slowly come round to accept and partially understand. Its that acceptance of the extraordinary thats the most frightening aspect of the film. At some point while watching, that incongruous baby and those strange images will be accepted by a part of your brain a small part, a part that barely has any influence over you, but youll start to think that everything thats happening is perfectly reasonable, perfectly possible. Like Un Chien Andalou, Eraserhead almost dares you to make sense of whats happening. Youll inevitably try and piece all the parts together, to understand the reasoning behind what your seeing, but its futile. There is no plot linking everything together, and the only logic is what you make for yourself. Which other plotless but brilliant films belong on this list? Share your own favourites below in the comments thread.
