David Lynch: The Art Life

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David Lynch: The Art Life

2017,

1h 30m,

Documentary

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90%

81 Reviews

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500+ Ratings

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81 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

The life and career of iconic director David Lynch are explored in more than 20 conversations recorded with him at his home.

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Critics Consensus

David Lynch: The Art Life offers a look at the director's life and craft whose unusual approach is in keeping with its subject's singularly strange aesthetic.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Aug 11, 2017

4/5

Focusing on the artist's work up to the creation of Eraserhead in 1977, The Art Life is utterly essential for his many followers. They may be surprised by how much of it makes sense.

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Andrew Lowry

Empire Magazine

Jul 17, 2017

4/5

Crucial for serious fans of Lynch, even if it may baffle newcomers.

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Jul 16, 2017

2/5

Fans will make connections with Lynch's personal anecdotes and the images they know from his films, but watching the artist explain his work is never as interesting as the art itself.

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Joe Lipsett

Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network

Jan 29, 2026

3/5

A loosely structured doc that puts Lynch, his art, and his art practice front and center. It's not revelatory, which may frustrate casual fans or newcomers, but for fans, it's a good complement to his early films

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Jan 20, 2025

6/10

It offers a portrait of Lynch's formative years and his creative process as an artist, but at times it remains in superficial zone where revelations are absent and the pace creeps forward like an oil canvas drying on a wall. [Full review in Spanish]

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Adrienne McIlvaine

Vague Visages

Feb 6, 2024

If ever a soul was captured on camera, this is it.

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Poe S

Nov 4, 2018

2018-11-3 This is stunning and addicted. I didn't know David Lynch is such an artist. All I know about David Lunch is he movies are too difficult for me. I realised the man on the cover is himself while watching this. Although sometimes there are some dark thing in his art, but there was nothing scary. I feel he is a warm person. Last time a feel a movie is beautiful is Budapest, and this is the 2nd one. Love this !!

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Draco L

Oct 28, 2018

Interesting, thought provoking, i admire his determination.

Anakin R

Jul 8, 2018

Contemplative and insightful documentary focuses on David Lynch's life and his work as an artist before he became a filmmaker and fascinates by giving him a lot of space to tell his own story.

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Luke S

Feb 26, 2018

The man behind many great films, included some of my favorites, not to mention "Twin Peaks". There's only one guy here, David. He talks, lit up cigs, smoke and crafts art. He is like a machine, constantly creating. Here he is mostly painting while telling stories and happenings from his younger days. For me it lacks more of his movie making. It's a small part of this film but for me it's the biggest deal about this man. Sure, it's nice to see other sides of him, I felt I got to know him better. Truly insperational, art comes so very naturally to him. I was hoping for more so I guess I was left a bit disappointed. 6 out of 10 cigs.

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Hagrid S

Nov 8, 2017

Yeah the focus is on Lynch's painting career and childhood/adolescence but these anecdotes help put his filmography in context. You may not still understand his movies but you'll definitely see what inspired them.

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Han W

Sep 14, 2017

Listening to those life anecdotes is not really interesting or revealing, to be honest, even though some of what Lynch says can be pretty funny and amusing, and it is hard to overlook the fact that the film ends right when it is starting to become more interesting.

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Jon Nguyen

Director

David Lynch

Self

Jon Nguyen

Producer

Sabrina S. Sutherland

Producer

Jason Scheunemann

Producer

Kurt Kittleson

Executive Producer

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David Lynch - The Art Life: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The life and career of iconic director David Lynch are explored in more than 20 conversations recorded with him at his home.

Director: Jon Nguyen
Producer: Jon Nguyen, Sabrina S. Sutherland, Jason Scheunemann
Screenwriter: Matt Lutz
Distributor: Janus Films
Production Co: Absurda, Duck Diver Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 31, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $169.5K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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