Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) is a talented printer from California whose life is quite simple. While on vacation from work, his ex-girlfriend, Mary X (Charlotte Stewart) calls and requests that he come to dinner with her and her parents. When Henry obliges and joins the X’s for a meal, his life is instantly turned upside down. While dealing with their antics Henry is informed that he and Mary have a baby together, a horrifically deformed baby. Henry agrees to marry Mary and have her and the baby live with him. As the simple life that Henry once led falls to pieces, depictions of dancing women, his head being used as an eraser and fetuses slithering across the floor swarm throughout his mind. Eraserhead is the story of Henry’s inability to accept the reality that he is now a father and a husband.
Known as a cult classic, Eraserhead works only for a very specific group of viewers. It has a very niche following and is unlikely to entertain most viewers. The entire film is horribly twisted and contains visuals that make much of it difficult to watch. It is important to understand that this film is not going to entertain in the typical sense of the word, but rather only if you are able to absorb the hidden information strewn throughout. What is present on the surface of the film feels like a bunch of nonsense that, only in one’s wildest dreams, contains a legitimate meaning. The demented visuals of a baby (that can barely be called human), a woman dancing in his radiator and bleeding chickens somewhat terrifies audiences and procures a genuine sense of uncomfortability from anyone willing to watch.
With little dialogue, Eraserhead relies heavily on Nance’s expressive face to provide some sense of theme or mood. His face is full of vibrant expressions that adequately move viewers down the road which writer-director David Lynch has paved. With absolutely no dialogue present throughout the first ten minutes of the film, music and some unorthodox sounds set the scene, the tone and the general feeling of what might eventually occur. In 1977 cinema was far removed from the time period when black and white was the only option; for fans of cinema the choice to complete the film in black and white (with poor lighting) provides a clear understanding that the ambiance of the film is dark as well. What can viewers deduce from the constant reminder that what is taking place is meant to be dark, and furthermore what can they determine is the hidden meaning behind these cringeworthy visuals?
Without giving too much away, Eraserhead visits and revisits the difficulties of parenthood and romantic relationships and attempts to identify with viewers who have struggled (or even experienced in any form) either of these scenarios. Unlike other films with deep metaphorical storylines, Eraserhead is not trying to provide any sort of insight into how to deal with certain situations, but rather an understanding of how some perceive them. It provides insight into the difficulties of the aforementioned situations and allows viewers to come to their own conclusions rather than force a certain way of thinking down their throats.
As the unhinged story and visuals unfold in front of viewers, they feel suspended in darkness, unable to find their footing or regain control of their mind as it runs rampant through Henry’s illusions. The anxiety that befalls those viewers enlightens them on the previously mentioned topics and forces them to feel as if these mental afflictions are real, rather than just a device used by Lynch. Eraserhead is obscure in its visuals, its presentation and its meaning, but provides viewers with some semblance of fractured understanding of the world in which they live. The only thing that truly makes sense is that nothing makes sense. As audiences endure the horrid depictions of a baby and a fractured marriage Eraserhead provides sparks of understanding that viewers must continue to unravel even after the film has ended.
Written & Directed by David Lynch. Starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates, Judith Roberts, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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