MovieChat Forums > Lost Highway (1997) Discussion > Is Pete really "made" up in Fred's mind?...

Is Pete really "made" up in Fred's mind????

posted 9 years ago by ActionJunkie007
6 replies | jump to latest

It seems to be a popular belief that Pete is a "made up" character in Fred's mind, as "he envisiones himself as a young man" but envisioning doesn't have to mean MADE UP now does it? Just some food for thought, I added this on a different thread but figured it deserved it's own:

-If inspired by the OJ Simpson trial, who was found with Jessica?

-Who is sleeping around with "Alice" in various sleazy motels?

-Who's Prints are found "all over the place"?

-Who's doing the "cheating" in the second half?

-Where is "Dick Laurent" killed?

-What happened "that night" that would be so horrible to Pete's parents?

-Where does Pete both disappear and get picked up at???

-Where is the wound on Pete's head??

Lynch has said numerous times that everything in this film happens FOR REAL, so what do you think that means in relation to Pete???

Oh I travel, a sort of licenced troubleshooter.

[–] timebeetlebrannigan679 9 years ago

No, I don't think he's made up. It's more of a vicious genetic cycle spanning the entire human race, illustrated by a proved interchangeable variable. They aren't the same person in a "Fight Club" sense, they're the same person in a spiritual sense.

[–] ActionJunkie007 9 years ago

I like that, and I see where you heads at! Nice that someone else actually talks about this film moreso in the "what its really all about" subtextual sense over strictly the surface story elements. I actually havent ventured back to this page in a while because no one was really interested in discussing those, hence my surface story thread, but thanks for your insight!

Oh I travel, a sort of licenced troubleshooter.

[–] timebeetlebrannigan679 9 years ago

Definitely! I'm very adamant about looking at Lynch's films as guided meditations as compared to rubix cubes which need to be "solved" to "understand". To me, "Lost Highway" is about the problems, fetishes, and obsessions that plague the sub-conscious male mind and cause it to self-destruct without proper knowledge of the self. The point is that it's not one man's struggle, it's THE man's struggle, and it perpetuates like a living virus throughout the whole species and gender. A fourth-dimensional portrait of the human male's struggle with that omnipotent demon the ancients called "Sexuality", echoing through the rich inter-dimensional tapestry of time. Many people have been slain by this Great Beast, and it's unwitting partner in crime, the woman in the red dress, Babalon.

[–] ActionJunkie007 9 years ago

guided meditations

YES!!!!!!!! I couldn't agree more! I have actually viewed Lost Highway as very Therapeutic for me. And when you say:

To me, "Lost Highway" is about the problems, fetishes, and obsessions that plague the sub-conscious male mind and cause it to self-destruct without proper knowledge of the self

You hit the nail on the coffin! I have been "Fred" and been plagued by the horrible "demon" often. Life has been a pretty mixed bag, relationship wise for me, and when I was at my lowest, at times, I would also imagine myself as a "Pete" and believe that as "Pete" I could escape the same "demon". But this is truly impossible to accomplish when the core fundemental "self" has remained unchanged. You just repeat the same cycle over and over again.

I truly believe Lost Highway actually helped me face this "demon" head on and I have made huge strides in the right direction! I am in a much better place these days and have a much better state of being. Of course, it's still a constant struggle though, after all, "He's a good friend of mine".. ;)

Oh I travel, a sort of licenced troubleshooter.

[–] PopperTheKungFu-Dragon 9 years ago

Lynch's movies make no sense and I've given up trying to figure out what they mean.

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

[–] ActionJunkie007 9 years ago

I've given up trying to figure out what they mean.

One can go a bit MAD trying to put together the "real" stories being told, especially with Lost Highway, but I feel Lynch doesn't want you to explore that aspect, he wants you to explore the themes and "moral" of the story if you will, and that's where his films really shine. Like Lost Highway can actually be a great film to watch to help curb a man's excessive jealousy. SO many men want to OWN their women, and that is simply impossible. You need to BREAK THE CYCLE and get out before it consumes you...

Oh I travel, a sort of licenced troubleshooter.