Wild at Heart (1990)

directed by David Lynch

David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" lives up to its name. At the center of the story is an undomesticated, nomadic twosome who exists surreally but blissfully, whenever their private bubble remains unsullied by external forces. Alas, even a surreal couple cannot dance & have ground-rumbling sex all day without breaking for food & water. Sailor Ripley's macho attitude & unique snake-skin jacket bring out the cool-rebel characterization, while slim goldilocks Lula Fortune in her conveniently scanty ensembles spells what Tarantino would call "regular fuck-machine."

The last time I saw this film was in college a decade ago; this time around, the love story between Sailor (Nicky Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) comes forth as its prominent feature. I came to this conclusion when the film takes its final turn towards a very happy ending for our twosome. The "nice witch"-inspired twist of Sailor running along the gridlocked cars towards Lula was a relief, and then his rendition of Elvis's "Love Me Tender" completed the wild, & hard-fought romance between our two lead characters. I am considering putting this film in my list of top romance films of all time, which includes such movies as "Casablanca," and "The Road Home."

This film is surreal at a "higher volume" compared to Lynch's earlier "Blue Velvet" (1986). However, the themes of true romance between Sailor & Lula, like that of Jeffrey & Sandy, and the acknowledged strange-world they live in do persist in "Wild at Heart." This time, it is the mother - a wicked witch - who is inexplicably villainous; the story implies the mother's jealousy of the daughter, perhaps due to classic conflicts within father-husband relationships. I contend that the sex & violence in "Wild at Heart" is less shocking compared to "Blue Velvet", but
the frequency of Sailor & Lula's rather playful sex is weird indeed. They truly dig one another & in a Lynchian dream world this is how it manifests itself.