Jim Jarmusch: ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ Is ‘the Best of American Cinema of the Last Decade’
Lists declaring the best films of the decade will be coming in more frequently as the year continues, but at least one filmmaker has already weighed in with his pick. In a new interview with Vulture to promote his zombie comedy “The Dead Don’t Die,” writer-director Jim Jarmusch gives praise to David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” and calls it the single best piece of American cinema over the last 10 years. There’s been much debate over whether or not “Twin Peaks: The Return” is a film or a television series (the project aired over 18 episodes on Showtime, but Lynch wrote it as a single film script), but as far as Jarmusch is concerned it’s the former.
“Oh, the best of American cinema of the last decade, probably, for me, is ‘Twin Peaks: The Return,’ an 18-hour film that is incomprehensible and dreamlike in the most beautiful, adventurous way,” Jarmusch said. “That is a masterpiece. Why can’t they just give David Lynch whatever money he needs? Why can’t you give Terry Gilliam? He needs money to make something; just give it to him! I don’t understand.”
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Jarmusch’s assessment of “Twin Peaks: The Return” as a film falls in line with the legendary French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, which declared Lynch’s 18-hour “Twin Peaks” saga the best film of 2017. Because “The Return” aired on Showtime, it was only eligible for Emmy awards and not Oscars. The project picked up nine Emmy nominations, including David Lynch for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama Special. “Twin Peaks: The Return” recently placed #17 on World of Reel’s decade list, which surveyed over 200 film critics. IndieWire’s chief critic Eric Kohn, box office editor Tom Brueggemann, and managing editor Christian Blauvelt participated in the survey.
Lynch has yet to announce a follow-up project to “Twin Peaks: The Return.” The 18-hour series wrapped its run on Showtime in September 2017. Since then, Lynch has spent time working on various art and music projects. The director even teamed up with Masterclass to host an online filmmaking course that debuted earlier this year. “Twin Peaks: The Return” is now available to stream on Showtime’s on demand platforms.
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