Arte Barrato: February 2024

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Multiple Personalities in INLAND EMPIRE

The three main characters in the picture (we will call them Sue, Billy and Smithy to begin) each have at least two Alter Egos; and the supporting characters all have their doppelgangers too. It all began with a Gypsy folk tale that was transformed into a radio play, though the reverse could also be the case.

To begin we start with the recording.

Nikki Grace has got the role to play Sue, the latest incarnation of the lost girl in the hotel room, seen directly above, though digitally masked when she first appears in scene one.

The original of Devon's character is the Phantom, played by Krzysztof Majchrzak in this initial encounter, though he reappears as himself at the house next door to Smithy's in Inland Empire. The Phantom sells watches and casts spells. Devon makes cappuccinos and acts.

Smithy is the lost girl's husband, but he's also Nikki's at the beginning of her story. He ends up reunited with his Polish wife, but in the house in Inland Empire. Nikki ends up in the ornate mansion in Beverly Hills, where she first appeared having coffee with the Folklorist, as the credits roll.