Laura Dern in the shadows in a still from 'Inland Empire' (2006)
Laura Dern in the shadows in a still from 'Inland Empire' (2006)
Inland Empire (2006) © StudioCanal

ACMI presents

Inland Empire

David Lynch | France, Poland, USA | 2006 | MA15+
Film

Tickets

Full

$20

Concession

$16

ACMI Member

$14

When

Mon 17 Feb 2025

See below for additional related events

An actress and a leading man find their lives unravelling around them during a troubled film shoot in David Lynch’s experimental final feature.

Inland Empire is just as notorious among cinephiles and David Lynch obsessives for what happened behind the camera as it is for what happened in front of it. Yet you don’t enter into a Lynch cinematic venture expecting it to be normal: you want it to be weird and terrifying and captivating all at once.

Laura Dern famously recounted a story about a producer on the film asking whether Lynch was joking when he requested a one-legged woman, a monkey and a lumberjack in a one-hour turnaround. To which she replied, “Yeah, you’re on a David Lynch movie, dude. Sit back and enjoy the ride.”

An experimental feature shot predominantly on a Sony camcorder by Lynch, Inland Empire baffled its stars as much as audiences when it premiered at Venice Film Festival. The plot, like most Lynch plots, is layered and complex. In its simplest form, it follows a troubled film production as an actress (Laura Dern) and leading man (Justin Theroux) find their lives unravelling around them during the shoot. Making up Inland Empire’s eclectic supporting cast are Harry Dean Stanton, Jeremy Irons, Julia Ormond, Terry Crews, Mary Steenburgen and William H Macy (to name a few).

– Maria Lewis

Format: DCP
Language: English and Polish with English subtitles
Source: STUDIOCANAL
Courtesy: STUDIOCANAL
Runtime: 180 mins

Event duration

180 mins

Rating

MA15+

Contains strong themes, violence, coarse language and sexual references

Where

Cinemas, Level 2
ACMI, Fed Square

Plan your visit

Focus on David Lynch (Thu 6 Feb – Sat 1 Mar 2025)

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6-Session Passes
Full $90, Concession $78, Member $72

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