Rabbits by David Lynch

David Lynch’s surrealist sitcom, Rabbits, which was created in 2002, is a collection of multiple episodes that displays a disturbing and irregular conversation between 3 bunnies whose names are Jack, Suzie, and Jane, with human-like characteristics, which is anthropomorphism. David Lynch is a director/writer who admired the concept of bizarre films that challenge the viewers to extract any kind of meaning apart from a few patterns evolving.

One of these patterns which I noticed very quickly, is the script itself. There are certain lines evolving around the same concepts that keep repeating. These concepts are the weather and time. The laugh track is also seen to have a preference for certain lines, which I noticed was predominantly the same concepts as the repeating lines. While a large part of the sitcom is hard to comprehend, there are certain techniques that are quite clear and understandable, to the extent that you can find the effect of the technique. One of these techniques is the horrifying yet very fitting background noise, which was done by a composer named Angelo Badalamenti. The background noise starts off very quiet and slow, it is a continuous sound which switches from note every so often, the sound of this feels quite distressing yet smooth. It gives the creepy and old movie effect, I will come back to the old style of the artwork later which relates to the background music. Over time, the sound slowly becomes more aggressive and more sounds add on above the plain music. This sound is quite indescribable, but it adds onto the old theme which the sitcom creates with a stereotypical impression, that adds to the abnormality and the normality of it.

The 70/80’s theme can be spotted in multiple parts of the creation. The interior of the house, the clothing of the 3 characters, and the inspiration that was taken from sitcoms that came from around that time, such as their voices. Their voices seem very recognizable, which adds onto the disturbing idea behind the sitcom.

My first reaction to David Lynch’s creation was a mix of confusion and curiosity. I had no clue what was going on nor what was going to happen, I was patiently waiting for something to happen, which is where my curiosity came from. I had this peculiar feeling that I wanted to stop watching yet I wanted to continue out of curiosity. There is a particular part in the sitcom that affected me the most, not in a positive nor negative way. This is when the lights turn to red and a demonic voice appears while one of the characters named Suzie holds what appears to be flashlights in her hands while her arms are raised. She then leaves the room and comes back “normal”. I have no clue what to make of it, there was no reason behind it which makes it so abnormal and absurd.

I personally do think David Lynch’s work is quite fascinating. To me this is an actual artwork that challenged my capability of finding a meaning or reason behind the artwork. I have a lot of respect for David Lynch and his absurd creativity, since I don’t think anyone else would be able to create such a startling and unusual piece of art.

Part 2

David Lynch’s artwork interests me because of its abnormality, which in a way inspires me. I always thought if I were to make art in a movie style pe it would be as creative and strange as that. The randomness of the concept of David Lynch is something I would enjoy creating. I personally believe the whole idea behind not overthinking the randomness and the concept of not having a purpose or meaning behind these shows is very interesting.

Rabbits 2 was just as uncanny and strange as the first one. It has the same idea, with a couple of small changes. These changes are just the script and the actions of the rabbits. It is just as surreal as the first one which adds tension to the sitcom. Having watched some other clips from David Lynch, you see a pattern evolving between all of them, which is simply the horrific randomness of it, which I admire.

The Elephant Man I watched 2 years ago, which had more of a story involved than Rabbits, but since it was based off of a true story, you can still tell it's one of Lynch’s stories by the abnormality and the style of it. One of the greatest creepy/abnormal actors, Anthony Hopkins, played in it, whom I personally believe would work great with David Lynch since their career both involves creepiness and horror themes.

To conclude, I believe David Lynch is a very different artist from others, which I admire greatly. His artwork feels so surreal and brings up many questions with the audience, which is a rare talent to have. His way of thinking is special and to me quite inspiring. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him.