Inland Empire (2006) on Netflix
Nikki Grace wins the lead in a cursed film opposite Devon Berk, while her jealous husband watches. The director says it is a remake of a Polish production whose leads were murdered.
- Netflix2.9/5
- IMDb6.8/1069,944 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes72%
Trailer
Plot summary
An audition for a romantic drama about an affair brings Nikki Grace the role of Susan Blue, opposite Devon Berk as Billy Side. An elderly visitor had already told Nikki that she would win the part and that the story involves murder. Nikki's Polish husband, Piotrek, warns Devon against getting involved with her. At the first rehearsal a noise interrupts the cast, and the director, Kingsley Stewart, reveals that the script is a remake of a Polish production abandoned after its two leads were killed. As shooting starts, Nikki begins an affair with Devon and finds the script blending into her own life.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Inland Empire (2006)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- David Lynch shot the film without a complete screenplay, instead handing each actor several pages of freshly written dialogue each day.
- Laura Dern recalled that Jeremy Alter, one of the film's newer producers, asked her whether Lynch was joking when he requested a one-legged woman, a monkey and a lumberjack by 3:15 p.m.; she told him to sit back and enjoy the ride, and they were filming with all three by 4 p.m.
- Inland Empire was the first Lynch feature shot completely in digital video, filmed in standard definition on a hand-held Sony DSR-PD150 by Lynch himself, who said the medium gives one "more room to dream" and more options in post-production.
- The film was remastered by Lynch and Janus Films in 2022; Lynch died in 2025, making Inland Empire his final feature film.
- The name "Inland Empire" is used in the 2019 detective video game Disco Elysium to describe a skill used by the protagonist.
