Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
"And the angels wouldn't help you....because they've all gone away."
This is essentially a 1992 film prequel to the Twin Peaks TV series, directed by David Lynch, which was keenly anticipated due to the popularity of the series. It was not received well at the Cannes Film Festival, and garnered largely negative reviews in America. Further, many of the fans of the television series were not keen, due to the fact that several characters from the TV series did not make an appearance, and the lead character (Dale Cooper) only had a few scenes.
It did receive some positive reviews, however, and some fans do appreciate it.
The plot deals with the last days of Laura Palmer, and the investigation into the murder of Teresa Banks.
- Abusive Parents
- Awful Truth: Causes Laura to have a Heroic BSOD
- Bittersweet Ending/Gainax Ending: In the last scene of the movie, Laura appears reunited with Agent Cooper and her guardian angel in the Black Lodge.
- Bondage Is Bad: It's certainly presented in as unsavoury a way as possible.
- Break the Cutie: The process is well underway by the beginning of the film
- Broken Bird: Laura. So, so much.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Played as dark as it can get.
- Cry Into Chest: Laura does this with her confidant, Harold Smith.
- Darker and Edgier: Although it occupies the same disturbing universe as the Twin Peaks television series, the film is noticeably more bleak. The focus is firmly on Laura, not the kooky surrounding cast of the TV show, and the eccentric humour of the series is absent.
- Daylight Horror: Twin Peaks always liked to mix the mundane with the terrifying, and the film is no exception.
- Don't Go in The Woods: For the love of God, don't go in the woods.
- Evil Me Scares Me: Played with, on a number of different levels.
- Heroic BSOD: Poor Laura.
- Inelegant Blubbering: Sheryl Lee is excellent at crying. There's no single glittering tear, she properly sobs.
- It Got Worse: Unbelievably so.
- Magic Realism
- My God, What Have I Done??
- Never Heard That One Before
Now... Irene is her name, and it is night. Don't go any further with it.
- The Other Darrin: Most notably Moira Kelly as Donna, since Lara Flynn Boyle bowed out.
- Redemption Equals Death
- Our Angels Are Different: At the end of the film, Laura is reunited with her guardian angel in the Black Lodge.
- Secret Diary: Played with. Laura find that pages have been torn from her diary, but does not know who did it. When she finds out it was Leland, her father, the awful truth starts slowly to sink in
- Sex for Solace: Laura's crying on Harold's shoulder looks like it was going to turn into this, seeing as she suddenly started kissing him passionately, but then she stopped herself. Possibly due to the Sex Is Evil and I Am Horny messages in the rest of the film, and Laura's own difficult relationship with her sexuality.
- Sex Is Evil and I Am Horny: A running theme throughout.
- Split Personality: Played with. There's Laura the homecoming queen who helped organise meals on wheels, and then there's the Laura who prostitutes herself and uses heroin. On the same note, the whole BOB/Leland split personality/evil spirit issue
- Spooky Painting: The one Laura receives as a gift from Mrs Chalfont and the boy in the mask.
- Stepford Smiler: Laura. But seeing as this is David Lynch, practically everyone.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Played with. Laura would rather die than let herself be a conduit for BOB
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: A particularly tear jerking take on this trope. When the angel appears to Laura when she is despondent in the Black Lodge, it is letting her know that she is worth saving and it never abandoned her