This is the first film directed by David Lynch I've seen, not counting The Elephant Man, which is another great film, but is an outsider in his career, since it is not surreal. This film is, however, making it the first typical Lynch film I've seen. And I'm honestly not sure what to make of it. I had heard a lot about Lynch's films before watching, but I guess I hadn't heard enough. I went into this film hoping for a good mystery, an interesting puzzle to solve. As the end credits rolled I didn't know what to make of what I had just seen. I didn't get an answer to the question I kept asking while I was watching; "What exactly is this film about?". As soon as the credits were over, I read a comment or two by Lynch fans... and the truth dawned on me. It's not supposed to be solved. It's not a movie where you, when you see the very end, exclaim "Ah! Now I get it!". This film won't provide you with some twist ending or have a character come up to the lead and explain it all. It's not supposed to make perfect sense or be easily explainable. It's not real. It's fantasy. Fiction. The whole film is like a dream, or, more appropriately, a nightmare. The film is great; it's just not for me. I won't let that affect my rating, however. This was an excellent example of masterful film-making. Lynch's direction is eminent, evidenced by the fact that I kept watching, despite not understanding half of what was going on or being able to sympathize with any character(something we are much too used to from mainstream movies). The lighting is great. Lynch really plays around with it, and it's always interesting to look at. It also really adds to the mood, nicely set by careful editing and music usage. The acting is flawless, and that is not a term I use lightly. All in all, a wonderfully well-done film, but definitely not for everyone. Wasn't in my tastes, but I enjoyed how well-made it was regardless. I recommend this to fans of art films, rather than conventional ones. Fans of Lynch should enjoy this. Very surreal and loose. 10/10

Lost Highway is not Lynch at his most accessible, that would be Blue Velvet followed by The Elephant Man and The Straight Story, and I would put those films as well as Mulholland Drive (one of his most polarising along with Eraserhead) as better films of his, but while it has divided and will divide viewers I did love the film. Lost Highway does occasionally get confusing (particularly from a psychological stand-point) as a result of trying to have too many ideas, which does seem to be what the main complaint is against it, but for me there was very little wrong (as a bit of advice it is a good idea to be acquainted with Lynch's style first with The Elephant Man or Blue Velvet being the best place to start). Lost Highway looks amazingly stylish, the cinematography some of the best of any film personally seen in a while, the colours are expressive and bursting with colour and hypnotism and the images are surreal but impeccably hypnotising. Lynch's directing is highly accomplished if not quite some of his best directing like Mulholland Drive or Blue Velvet. He also does a great job in not making Lost Highway too formulaic (there is a sense that formally and structurally that there was a fair bit of re-invention involved),in fact it was one of the freshest and most unique psychological mystery thrillers personally viewed. Like Eraserhead, Lost Highway is basically an atmosphere/mood piece and it works amazingly as one. It may be Lynch at his strangest but that made the film even more fascinating to watch, no matter what you think of some of the story the impact the atmosphere has in the film cannot be denied. The thriller elements are enough to set the pulse racing and the mystery elements while made obvious about half-way through have a lot of suspense. Bill Pullman's exemplary here, some of the best work he's ever done even, and standouts too are Patricia Arquette at her most sensual and Robert Blake at his creepiest. The music score is incredibly haunting with fitting use of pre-existing songs and while spare the dialogue doesn't stick out like a sore thumb too much. All in all, a bizarre film but with the mood it has and how well-made and directed it is it is a very compelling one too. Not Lynch at his best but around the top end of his filmography. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The jazz saxophonist Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) is married with Renee (Patricia Arquette) and they live in a comfortable house. Fred is suspicious of the relationship of Renee with her friend Andy (Michael Massee). One morning, Renee finds a videotape on the doorstep of their house and when they watched the footage, they find that someone has broken in to film inside their house. They call the police, but the two detectives do not find any clue. Fred and Renee go to a party at Andy's house and Fred has a bizarre encounter with a mysterious man (Robert Blake) that tells him that they have met before and he is at Fred's house. The upset Fred calls Renee and they go back home. On the next morning, Fred finds another videotape and when he watches the film, he sees a bloodbath with Renee murdered in bed with him. He is found guilty of murder of first degree and sentenced to the electric chair. While waiting in the death row, he morphs into the efficient mechanic Peter Raymond Dayton (Balthazar Getty) and is released from the cell, but followed by two detectives. Pete fixes the car of the powerful and dangerous gangster Mr. Eddy (Robert Loggia) and when he meets his mistress Alice Wakefield (Patricia Arquette),they have a love affair and the woman convinces him to escape with her from Mr. Eddy and travel to some other place.

"Lost Highway" is one of the most intriguing, bizarre and challenging cult-movies that is to be loved or hated but never fully understood. I believe that even David Lynch that directed and wrote "Lost Highway" does not have answers for all the mysteries of the plot. The best and most provocative scene is when the mysterious man tells Fred that he is at his house and gives a cellular to Fred to call him. The film is shot following the style of film-noir and Patricia Arquette is the "femme fatale". The beauty of the half-naked Patricia Arquette is astonishing and her strip-tease is very erotic. The soundtrack with music of David Bowie, Angelo Badalamenti, Rammstein, Lou Reed, and Tom Jobim (with Insensatez") is spectacular. Last time I had watched this movie was on 23 December 1999. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "A Estrada Perdida" ("The Lost Highway")