Nicolas Cage puts himself so into the character of Sailor Ripley to the most impressive manner, overtly expressing his pride over a snakeskin jacket (which was one of Cage’s own possessions) because to him, “it is a symbol of my individuality and belief in personal freedom” (in those exact words). It’s hard enough to doubt that the combination of the talents of Nicolas Cage and David Lynch would make a match that seems almost so uncalled for, yet both are able to embrace their weirdness in order to form a beautiful love story. Even on that count, it still retains those distinctive David Lynch touches that only make this love affair so much more dreamlike. Based on the novel of the same name by Barry Gifford, Wild at Heart is probably best described as the most romantic movie in David Lynch’s filmography, but the mere thought of a film of this sort seeming so unorthodox even by the standards of what David Lynch is known for best exemplifies why his talents remain unmatched. However, Lula’s overprotective mother Marietta (Diane Ladd), disapproves of this romance and even sends hitmen out to keep the two of them apart and bring Lula back into her arms. Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) and Lula Fortune (Laura Dern) are madly in love with one another. If there’s any other way to describe Wild at Heart, it would only be fitting to describe it as the happiest film that David Lynch might ever leave us behind with, but it still perfectly blends together all the distinctive elements of surrealism in order to create one of the most romantic movies that could ever have been made too.

Among many things that one could ever find themselves loving about Wild at Heart, it’s also like looking at a new side of the David Lynch that one would be familiar with and even if the sudden shift in tone may not work for the most dedicated of his fans, it still results in what I see to be one of his most beautiful films by far. David Lynch’s Wild at Heart received the Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival in 1990, yet it still seems to have remained heavily underrated in his filmography.

Movies + wild at heart