Graphic by Audrey Hanan ‘28
By Sarah Berger ’27
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Legendary director David Lynch died on Jan. 15, 2025. He was best known for experimental works like “Twin Peaks,” “Mulholland Drive” and “Blue Velvet,” which explore themes including dreams, heaven, surrealism and shame. Mount Holyoke College Film Society Co-President Victoria Faulkner ’25 shared some of her thoughts on his work, his legacy and how his filmmaking shaped her life in a recent interview with Mount Holyoke News.
What's your favorite work of Lynch's? Do you want to say anything about it?
My favorite work of Lynch’s is “Twin Peaks,” without a doubt. The masterful way it blends surrealism with mythology and fantasy and showcases how culture ties into personal identity through mystery makes it one of my favorite television works.
Do you think David Lynch's work ties into MHC culture/student life at all? If so, how?
As both a member of — and now one of the presidents of — Film Society, I would say that we have a large community-wide interest in film; from Cronenberg to the Oscars to meme movies like Ratatoing, people love film and they love to discuss films. Both the various themes Lynch engaged with in his work and the methodology of his filmmaking and writing speak to the interests of a lot of MHC students. MHC has a significant history of experimental writing, filmmaking and other creative work, and the connection to Lynch created itself pretty naturally through that. Even the environmental choices of his work, like how Lynch chose to work in a lot of wooded areas and near water, speak to conditions filmmakers and creatives working at or near the [Pioneer] Valley’s forests and other natural features engage with.
How has Lynch's work impacted you and your perception of the world?
Lynch has fundamentally changed how I think about gender politics in relation to myself, media at large and the entire idea of spiritual mysticism. The way mystery is presented as both a spiritual and social phenomenon — and in some ways a sexual one — in “Mulholland Drive” allows for a feminist angle to be introduced in every inch of the world; how and why, when it comes to female characters, does Lynch express their autonomy through fear? Is fear feminist, or can it be? The entire character of Laura Palmer, in “Twin Peaks,” speaks to this too … you can read Laura as a failed prom queen, dead from her own sins, or you can read Laura as a savior. Laura’s death and experiences of fear and terror create a vacuum of spiritual connections and exposures for everyone in the town; in a way, you can read Laura as a Christ figure, who both brings forward our sins and cleanses them in her death. Lynch’s work is as impactful in its making as it is rich in the dozens of possible interpretations; my great love for him comes from connecting his work to my broader knowledge and understanding of the world.
Sofia Ramon ’27 contributed fact-checking.