Ok, first off I'm not going to claim that I know what this deeply textured, multi-faceted piece of cinema is all about. Only a fool would make that assertion with a Lynch film, and in particular this 'mindfuck' of a journey.

However, there is a significant amount of evidence in this film to point to a Christ-like struggle for redemption:

Woman (Man) In Trouble (WIT):

In a similar vein to the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Girl has sinned and needs to be brought back into the fold. In order to understand Lost Girl's sins, and in a broader sense, the sins of all men and women, Nikki becomes Sue and sees life from the WIT's perspective. Adultery, jealousy, murder, prostitution, all pretty top level sins, but is it the evil in the person, or circumstance that leads to commit these sins? Through this 'role' Nikki can display the complexities of this age-old puzzle and attempt to exorcise the demon and get out of trouble. Is the demon within, or is the demon your environment. Am I the demon or does he live next door? The answer is up to us, the viewer.

Room 47 : The Rabbit Hole

Lynch likes the idea that the road to heaven and hell exist in the same atemporal space. In Twin Peaks, the Black Lodge, the White Lodge and the Waiting Room all apparently exist on the same spatial plane. Room 47 is purgatory for our characters, animals awaiting the next level. To get to the Palace, Nikki sacrifices herself on Sunset Boulevard, is resurrected, overcomes evil, and frees the Lost Girl from living hell.

IMO, In this particular world the 'longest running story' has found a resolution. Lynch is known to flit between pessimism (Mulholland Drive), Indifference (Blue Velvet) and optimism (Fire Walk With Me), but on this occasion, possibly because of his new found freedom from artistic constraints, Lynch is in a good mood :-)

Inland Empire 10/10

James

Roland Kermarec