Lynch/Oz

{{short description|2022 documentary film}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Lynch/Oz

| image = Lynch Oz 2022 film poster.png

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Alexandre O. Philippe

| writer = Alexandre O. Philippe

| producer = Kerry Deignan Roy{{cite magazine|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|author-link=Naman Ramachandran|date=April 30, 2022|title=Dogwoof Boards David Lynch, 'The Wizard of Oz' Tribeca Doc 'Lynch/Oz' (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/global/lynch-oz-tribeca-doc-david-lynch-wizard-of-oz-1235236617/|magazine=Variety|access-date=March 26, 2023}}

| cinematography = Robert Muratore

| editing = David Lawrence

| music = Aaron Lawrence{{cite magazine|last=DeFore|first=John|date=June 9, 2022|title='Lynch/Oz': Film Review {{!}} Tribeca 2022|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lynch-oz-film-review-tribeca-2022-1235162572/|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 26, 2023}}

| studio = Exhibit A Pictures

| distributor = Dogwoof

| released = {{Film date|2022|6|9|Tribeca}}

| runtime = 108 minutes{{cite magazine|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|date=July 17, 2022|title='Lynch/Oz' Review: Alexandre O. Philippe's Latest Dive Down the Rabbit Hole of Film Obsession|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/lynch-oz-review-alexandre-o-philippe-1235316915/|magazine=Variety|access-date=March 26, 2023}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $68,987{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=15399286|title=Lynch/Oz (2022)|access-date=July 17, 2023}}{{cite The Numbers|id=Lynch-Oz-(United-Kingdom)|title=Lynch/Oz (2022)|access-date=July 17, 2023}}

}}

Lynch/Oz is a 2022 American documentary film directed and written by Alexandre O. Philippe that explores the influence of the film The Wizard of Oz (1939) on the American filmmaker David Lynch.

Synopsis

File:David Lynch Cannes 2017.jpg

Lynch/Oz examines the influence of the 1939 Victor Fleming-directed film The Wizard of Oz on the work of American filmmaker David Lynch. The concept for the film originates from a response Lynch gave during a Q&A panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival following a screening of his film Mulholland Drive. When asked about the impact of Fleming's film on his work, Lynch said, "There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about The Wizard of Oz." Lynch/Oz attempts to reevaluate the filmmaker's extended filmography within this enduring influence, from his very first short film, The Alphabet (1969), to his latest series, Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). The film was officially described as an exploration of "one of the most fascinating puzzles in the history of motion pictures: the enduring symbiosis between America's primordial fairytale, The Wizard of Oz, and David Lynch's singular brand of popular surrealism."{{cite news|last=Bergeson|first=Samantha|date=October 4, 2022|title='Lynch/Oz' Trailer: David Lynch's Fascination with 'The Wizard of Oz' Is Unmasked|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/10/lynch-oz-trailer-david-lynch-wizard-of-oz-1234769118/|work=IndieWire|access-date=March 26, 2023}}{{cite news|last=Murray|first=Andrew|date=November 28, 2022|title=Lynch/Oz|url=https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2022/11/28/lynch-oz-movie-review/|work=The Upcoming|access-date=March 26, 2023}}

The film is divided into six chapters, each narrated by a different filmmaker or critic who provides their own perspectives on the subject. Among the narrators are filmmakers Karyn Kusama (Jennifer's Body), Rodney Ascher (Room 237), and John Waters (Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble).{{cite magazine|last=Ferrier|first=Aimee|date=November 28, 2022|title='Lynch/Oz' Review: a weakly argued collection of glorified video essays|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/lynch-oz-review-a-weakly-argued-collection-of-glorified-video-essays/|magazine=Far Out|access-date=March 26, 2023}} The film incorporates hundreds of film clips to illustrate the connection between David Lynch and The Wizard of Oz.{{cite news|last=Judah|first=Tara|date=June 9, 2022|title='Lynch/Oz': Tribeca Review|url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/lynch/oz-tribeca-review/5171463.article|work=Screen International|access-date=March 26, 2023}}

Cast

Release

Lynch/Oz was selected to be screened in the Spotlight Documentary section of the Tribeca Festival,{{cite news|last=Goldsmith|first=Jill|date=April 19, 2022|title=Tribeca Festival Lineup Includes 'Corner Office' With Jon Hamm, Ray Romano's 'Somewhere In Queens', More|url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/tribeca-festival-2022-lineup-film-tv-1235005218/|work=Deadline|access-date=March 26, 2023}}{{cite news|last=Jeffrey|first=Andrew|date=April 19, 2022|title=Tribeca Film Festival reveals 2022 lineup|url=https://realscreen.com/2022/04/19/tribeca-film-festival-reveals-2022-lineup/|work=Realscreen|access-date=March 26, 2023}} where it had its world premiere on June 9, 2022.{{cite news|last=Rogers|first=Jamie|date=June 9, 2022|title='Lynch/Oz' Poster Debut: Alexandre O. Philipp Examines David Lynch's Obsession With 'Wizard Of Oz' [Tribeca Exclusive]|url=https://theplaylist.net/lynch-oz-poster-exclusive-20220609/|work=The Playlist|access-date=March 26, 2023}} Before its premiere, Lynch/Oz was picked up for worldwide release by Dogwoof, a British film distributor specializing in documentaries. The documentary had its UK premiere during the BFI London Film Festival. It received a limited UK theatrical release by Film 4 on December 2, 2022. The film received a limited theatrical release by Janus Films in North America, beginning at New York's IFC Center on June 2, 2023.{{cite web|url=https://elementsofmadness.com/2023/06/02/lynchoz/|title="Lynch/Oz" pulls back the curtain on America through film.|last=Eisenman|first=Andrew J.|date=June 2, 2023|website=Elements of Madness|access-date=June 17, 2023}}

Reception

=Critical response=

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads, "Thoughtful and absorbing, Lynch/Oz offers an appropriately unique analysis of one of cinema's most idiosyncratic artists."{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Lynch/Oz|type=m|id=lynch_oz|access-date=September 6, 2024}} According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 18 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".{{cite Metacritic|id=lynchoz|type=movie|title=Lynch/Oz Reviews|access-date=July 15, 2023}}

Screen International{{'}}s Tara Judah wrote, "With its impressive array of hundreds of film clips, frenetic editing and whip-smart narrators, Lynch/Oz offers an exciting prism through which to view Lynch's oeuvre." David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote, "Lynch/Oz is less compelling for any of its individual theories or observations than for how it frames movies as permeable membranes that flicker between personal obsession and the collective unconscious."{{cite news|last=Ehrlich|first=David|date=June 9, 2022|title='Lynch/Oz' Review: A Fun Essay Film Explores David Lynch's Single Greatest Obsession|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/06/lynch-oz-review-1234732048/|work=IndieWire|access-date=March 26, 2023}} Variety{{'}}s Owen Gleiberman wrote, "Lynch/Oz is bursting with ideas [...] but the movie is too pie-in-the-sky to quite make it over the rainbow."

=Accolades=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+Accolades for Lynch/Oz

! scope="col" |Award

! scope="col" |Date of ceremony

! scope="col" |Category

! scope="col" |Recipient(s)

! scope="col" |Result

! scope="col" |{{Ref heading}}

scope="row" | BFI London Film Festival

| October 16, 2022

| Grierson Award for Best Documentary

| rowspan="2" | Alexandre O. Philippe

| {{Nom}}

| style="text-align:center;" |{{cite magazine|last=Ravindran|first=Manori|date=October 4, 2022|title=BFI London Film Festival Unveils Competition Juries|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/global/bfi-london-film-festival-competition-juries-1235392531/|magazine=Variety|access-date=March 26, 2023}}

scope="row" | Denver Film Festival

| November 13, 2022

| Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary

| {{Nom}}

| style="text-align:center;" |{{cite web|url=https://www.denverfilm.org/denverfilmfestival/dff45/programs/|title=DFF45 Program Sections|website=Denver Film Festival|access-date=March 27, 2023}}

References

{{Reflist}}