Christopher Nolan recalls finding David Lynch movie ‘laborious’
Director shares 'Lost Highway' later inspired his breakthrough film, 'Memento'
Christopher Nolan revealed that David Lynch's Lost Highway was one of the few acclaimed films he initially struggled to enjoy, despite later becoming a major influence on his own filmmaking.
Speaking during a visit to the Criterion Closet, the Oscar-winning director admitted his first viewing of the 1997 psychological thriller was far from enjoyable.
Nolan found Lost Highway difficult on first viewing
Nolan said he found Lynch's surreal mystery challenging to watch.
"When I first saw it, I cannot say that I enjoyed the film."
He added that he considered it "quite laborious to sit through" and described the experience as "quite heavy going."
Released in 1997, Lost Highway stars Bill Pullman as a saxophonist who is convicted of murdering his wife before a bizarre series of identity shifts and dreamlike events unfolds.
The film stayed with Nolan long after it ended
Despite his initial reaction, Nolan said the film lingered in his mind for weeks.
He explained that he kept remembering it as though it were one of his own dreams, praising Lynch's ability to translate dream logic into cinema.
According to Nolan, that unique storytelling approach left a lasting impression on him.
Lost Highway helped shape Memento
Nolan revealed that he watched Lost Highway on VHS while writing the screenplay for his 2001 breakthrough film, Memento.
The psychological thriller, based on a story by his brother Jonathan Nolan, follows a man with short-term memory loss as he investigates his wife's murder using photographs, handwritten notes and tattoos.
Nolan has previously said Lynch's film inspired him to create a movie that would continue to occupy viewers' minds long after the credits rolled.
Once divisive, now a cult classic
Although Lost Highway received mixed reviews upon its release, the film has since been widely re-evaluated as one of Lynch's most influential works.
It is now regarded as the first instalment of the director's Los Angeles trilogy, followed by Mulholland Drive (2001) and Inland Empire (2006).
