20 Best Movies Over Three Hours Long
19. Inland Empire (2006)
Runtime: 3 hours, 1 minute
Never a man willing to explain the greater meaning behind his work, the incomparable David Lynch described Inland Empire as a film "about women in trouble, and it's a mystery," vaguely adding: "And that's all I want say about that."
Lynch's longest film (unless you're counting Twin Peaks The Return, but let's not reignite that debate), Inland Empire would probably still be a confounding experience even if he was willing to expand on it. Even by his own standards, this might just be the director's strangest work, but also one of his most creatively bold.
A surreal acid trip through the professional life of an actress whose personality is warped by her latest role, the film revels in its experimentation - its fragmented storytelling, its ambiguous, doom-laden horrors - but lures you in with seductive creepiness and vibrant energy.
Anchored by Laura Dern's magnetic performance and Lynch's terrifyingly unique imagination, as well as his humanist worldview and love for the ineffable, Inland Empire is an epic brainteaser that begs you to hold on and never let go.