That said, the Oscars aren't everything. Inland Empire is a tough sit at nearly three hours but for Lynch fans it definitely has its moments, and they often involve Laura Dern's facial distortions, which are at least as frightening as Catherine O'Hara's face pulling in For Your Consideration were hilarious.
For my money, Laura Dern's best Lynchian performance is still her incredible work as "Lulu" in Wild at Heart but her doubled and unravelling performance in Inland Empire begs the question: Why aren't more filmmakers lining up to work with her? Why aren't they posing with their own cows to win her heart?
