The Impossible David Lynch (Film and Culture Series)

This is an exceptionally well written and rewarding book for David Lynch fans. My father and brother are both psychoanalytic psychiatrists and huge Lynch film fans. Growing up, we used to attend psychoanalytic movie reviews which were presented by hospital staff psychiatrists and analysts and they were amazing experiences. During one session, a child analyst presented "Blue Velvet" and laid the groundwork for my understanding of David Lynch (and Lynch-like) directors. He argued that the film was about wish fulfillment and fantasy and that it could be understood most effectively from that style of interpretation. "The Impossible David Lynch" is an incredibly detailed film critique that examines the major Lynch film canon via this same style of analysis, ie, how do characters resolve the struggle between fantasy and desire? I first bought the book back in 2008 and have come back to it several times, either after re-watching a specific Lynch film, or looking for a specific quote from the author. wrt issues with technical language, i think if you are drawn to a book on film theory chances are you are equipped to understand the arguments and explanations regardless of how much Lacan you have read (or understand!). McGowan falls back on the concepts of fantasy and desire as much of the explanatory basis for his interpretations and i think these are easy enough to connect with. In any event, readers who would by this book are very likely to have some background in psychology and even the most surface level understanding of psychoanalytic theory will open the book wide open to readers. My biggest regret is that i will never be able to take a class with this extraordinary professor and thinker. Like others, i am hoping for a new volume that includes later films. I highly recommend this book.

As Farscape1477 points out, the book is not easily accessible and makes liberal use of the terminology of psychoanalysis. It practically presupposes a knowledge of the vocabulary of Lacan and Freud. But I stuck with it because I enjoy reading someone else's descriptions of Lynch's films. Eventually I felt more comfortable with the terminology. My eyes still glaze over from time to time as I read (I'm on the last chapter now), but I've still found it to be a very satisfying book. Plus, now I'm interested in this Lacan guy and learning more about his philosophy.Another thing I'd point out is that it's hard to decide if Lynch meant his films to be the way they are for the reason the author describes, or if they're just that way because Lynch is subconsciously guided by this psychology, or what. Because sometimes the book makes so much sense I almost feel like Lynch might have been thinking these things when he wrote the film. Other times I swing the other way and think it must be coincidental, or the author is stretching. In the end it gives you a lot to think about, and that's what's so good about Lynch films in the first place.I recommend this book to any Lynch fan. It's a shame Inland Empire isn't covered in the book. I'd love to see McGowan break that one down. Maybe he'll release an updated edition.

I'm only half way through this book, but so far I have mixed feelings.The author's stance is to look at Lynch's films as a blend of fantasy and desire. However, he never expresses what his definitions of these terms is. The words fantasy and desire take on new meaning in the context of this book.As a result, I've found this book to be a very difficult read. Much of the psychoanalysis is in terms of Lacanian Theory, which I know absolutely nothing about. And the author's writing style is not particularly accessible.However, I still recommend this book for true Lynch fans. Once I attain a better grasp of the author's point of view, I imagine that I will enjoy the book even more.