Absurda

For the pop song by Anahí, see Absurda (song).

Not to be confused with Abzurdah.

2007 film

Absurda

Directed by| David Lynch

Release date

* 2007 (2007)

Running time

| 3 minutes
Language| English

Absurda (also titled Scissors) is a surrealist short film directed by David Lynch and shown at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival[1] as an opening short to Wong Kar-wai’s film My Blueberry Nights. The film is approximately two and a half minutes long. It employs dream-like imagery, with stationary visuals which show a theater and the screen on which nightmarish images are projected.[2][3] The film is part of the To Each His Own Cinema anthology.

## Synopsis

[edit]

Four people (never seen, but heard) enter a theater, expecting to see a film about dancing, but only see a large pair of scissors sticking out of the screen. They are then shown images of a woman in a pink dress and ballet shoes, who the group identifies as one of them, Cindy, and a man with a bloody face, who the group identifies as another of them, Tom. The projectionist explains that the scissors are "what was used" and that Tom is "the one who did it". Tom denies that he is the one on screen. The scissors reappear in a stabbing motion as Cindy becomes distressed by the way Tom is looking at her. A commotion and Cindy's screams then accompany the theater being engulfed in smoke as the others shout at Tom to "stop". Cindy then reappears on the screen, dancing ballet, as her voice is heard when she says: "So, I went dancing. I've always loved to dance."

## Analysis

[edit]

Kristina Šekrst examines Absurda in the context of personal identity and performativity. She highlights the projectionist as a key figure whose words reshape the film’s characters, reflecting the broader theme of identity as influenced by external force, drawing parallels between Absurda and Lynch’s other works, such as Inland Empire, emphasizing recurring motifs like duality and transformation. Šekrst situates the short film within Lynch’s exploration of identity as dynamic and affected by external narratives.[4]

Sam Harris interprets the projectionist as a metaphor for the filmmaker, with the theater setting reinforcing the connection between cinematic storytelling and audience engagement. He notes the symbolic role of objects like the scissors and their integration into surrealist imagery, underscoring Lynch’s focus on the interplay between illusion and reality.[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "New Short Film Absurda Premieres at Cannes". dugpa.com. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
2. ^ "CANNES '07 DAILY DISPATCH | Fest Poster Boy, WKW, Set for Cannes Close-Up; New Market Faces; IETFF". indiewire.com. 15 May 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
3. ^ "Cannes Film Festival jury meets". businessofcinema.com. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
4. ^ Šekrst, Kristina (2024). "Narrativism and Performativity in Absurda and Darkened Room". In Andrew M. Winters (ed.). A Critical Companion to David Lynch. Lexington Books.
5. ^ Harris, Sam (23 October 2017). "Reflections on/of the Projected Image: David Lynch's Absurda". MediaFactory. Retrieved 16 January 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Absurda at IMDb
* David Lynch's website

* v
* t
* e

David Lynch

* Early life
* Filmography
* Discography
* Bibliography
* Accolades
* Cultural impact
* Frequent collaborators
* Unrealized projects

Directorial
works|

| Feature films|

* Eraserhead (1977)
* The Elephant Man (1980)
* Dune (1984)
* Blue Velvet (1986)
* Wild at Heart (1990)
* Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
* Lost Highway (1997)
* The Straight Story (1999)
* Mulholland Drive (2001)
* Inland Empire (2006)

|

Short films|

* Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times) (1967)
* The Alphabet (1968)
* The Grandmother (1970)
* The Amputee (1974)
* The Cowboy and the Frenchman (1988)
* Premonition Following an Evil Deed (1995)
* Darkened Room (2002)
* Bug Crawls (2007)
* Boat (2007)
* Absurda (2007)
* Lady Blue Shanghai (2010)
* Idem Paris (2013)
* What Did Jack Do? (2017)

Music videos|

* "Wicked Game" (1990)
* "Longing" (1995)
* "Shot in the Back of the Head" (2009)
* "Came Back Haunted" (2013)

Concert films|

* Industrial Symphony No. 1 (1990)
* Duran Duran: Unstaged (2011)

Television|

* Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
* On the Air (1992)
* Hotel Room (1993)
* DumbLand (2002)
* Rabbits (2002)
* Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

Albums|

* Eraserhead (1982)
* BlueBOB (2001)
* The Air Is on Fire (2007)
* Twin Peaks Music: Season Two Music and More (2007)
* Polish Night Music (2007)
* Crazy Clown Time (2011)
* The Big Dream (2013)
* Thought Gang (2018)
* Cellophane Memories (2024)

Books|

* Images (1994)
* Catching the Big Fish (2006)
* The Air Is on Fire (2007)
* Dark Night of the Soul (2010)
* Genealogies of Pain (2011)
* Room to Dream (2018)

Awards by film|

* The Elephant Man
* Blue Velvet

Characters
created|

* Frank Booth
* Dale Cooper
* Laura Palmer
* Sheriff Harry Truman
* Shelly Johnson
* Donna Hayward
* Audrey Horne
* Maddy Ferguson
* Benjamin Horne
* Phillip Jeffries
* Bob
* Windom Earle
* Mike
* Leland Palmer
* Log Lady
* The Giant
* The Man from Another Place / The Arm
* Tommy Hill
* Bobby Briggs

Related|

* Jennifer Lynch (daughter)
* "In Heaven"
* Ronnie Rocket
* The Angriest Dog in the World
* Lynch on Lynch (1997)
* Lost Highway (opera) (2003)
* The Air Is on Fire (art exhibition)
* Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014)
* David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)
* Blue Velvet Revisited (2016)
* Lynch/Oz (2022)
* David Lynch Foundation

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