The Adventures of Alan R. (David Lynch, 2020, USA)

The Adventures of Alan R. is a very short film by David Lynch released in 2020. For those familiar with David Lynch and his work, the name "Alan" rings a bell. Alan Splet was Lynch's sound designer for his first four films - Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, and Blue Velvet. Splet also worked on several other acclaimed classic and high-profile films such as Dead Poets Society and The English Patient. Unfortunately, Splet passed away in 1994 at the age of 54. His collaboration with Lynch on Eraserhead was recently re-released on vinyl. 

The Adventures of Alan R. is a single still shot of a decapitated head on a carpet. The head appears to be next to a couch. The head looks like one of the many sculptures Lynch has made in the past. The carpet is patterned with jagged lines. A clock is ticking in the background, and we can hear what seems to be a man breathing. The head-on the floor speaks, in what is Lynch's voice being modified - "I am not going fishing, mom!" The heavy breathing continues, and the voice repeats its line - "I am not going fishing." The screen then fades to black. 

The Adventures of Alan R. is part of Lynch's broader "David Lynch Theater" project on YouTube, which features various animated short films along with running gags including the director's famous weather reports ("sunny and blue skies"). Alan R. seems as though it was part of a broader collection of shorts, and on its own, it is an amusing piece but nothing very substantial. We could guess also that the Alan R. referred to is Alan Resnais, whose work has influenced David Lynch. We suppose that this is the central mystery of the film, but it is not a very exciting one.

5/10