The Disc of Sorrow Is Installed (David Lynch, 2002, USA)

The Disc of Sorrow is a curious short film by David Lynch. The film opens with a title card - the future home of the "Disc of Sorrow". David Lynch appears on screen in his usual white button-up shirt and khaki pants. This time, however, he is holding a large blue disc. He reads a short speech - "Squirrels above, birds below - these days life is backward, don't you know? With the disc of sorrow it's a different show. Birds above, and squirrels below. We will now install the disc of sorrow." Subsequently two men join him on the screen - one wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses, and one wearing a kind of winter hat with googly eyeglasses. 

Lynch watches on as the two men prepare for the installation. The man with the googly eyes begins unscrewing the signpost. They begin the process of the installation. This is all accompanied by the sound of an ambient drone, in typical Lynchian fashion. Lynch places the disc onto the pole through the hole in the pole. The disc is installed. Someone described this as David Lynch's film about not wanting squirrels in his bird feeder, and that is about the most accurate way to describe this. 

The film concludes with the three men standing in a line together. The camera shows the disc of sorrow. The three men raise their arms in a salute. The uncoordinated saluting is the funniest aspect of the film, as the man with the googly eyes salutes too early. Lynch then says: "The disc of sorrow has been installed." Lynch and the other two men leave, while the droning soundtrack continues against a backdrop of industrial landscapes. The camera then shows the disc of sorrow one last time, concluding this odd little piece from David Lynch.

5/10