Boxing Helena - An interesting, if odd, watch

I've always been a fan of David Lynch's weird and wonderful films and TV shows, therefore I've also always had an interest in the output of his daughter, Jennifer Lynch. 'Boxing Helena' was one of her first films and, to put it mildly, it was an ordeal for everyone involved.  Besides the drama offscreen involving the trouble with casting and actors dropping out, the film wasn't particularly well received and is actually quite hard to find these days, leading to Jennifer Lynch not really dabbling in the big screen for quite some time.

It's about a rather troubled surgeon who becomes obsessed with the titular 'Helena' and - believe it or not - ends up amputating both her arms and legs in order to 'care for her.' Yeah, it's an odd sell, but if you know anything about either Lynch, you'll probably see it as 'normal!'

Now, based on that mini synopsis, you may be inclined to automatically see Helena as 'the victim' - which of course she is, but in most cinema victims' cases, you automatically feel sorry for them.  Maybe not her though.  Perhaps one of the film's (many?) flaws is its characters who are all pretty much fundamentally unlikable.  The main star is weird and his 'hostage' not an awful lot better on a personal level.  Yes, there is some 'character growth' over the course of the story, but it's certainly a hard watch.

I'm not sure whether I enjoyed it or not.  The whole production has this whole feel like it's a cross between a made-for-TV movie and a daytime soap.  The acting is a little odd, but I'm not sure whether that's deliberate or not as all the stars are certainly fine actors in their own right, but they seem to have been told to 'play up' to the whole melodrama feel.

I've seen 'Boxing Helena' twice now - once when it was first released in the cinema and now thirty years later.  Back then I thought it was more of a horror/love story.  Now I guess there are underlying themes my teenage self didn't pick up on, such as the power struggle/dynamic of a toxic relationship.  I don't know whether I'd recommend it or not.  Just expect something weird and be in a bit of a forgiving mood to overlook its flaws.  It didn't put me off either Lynch though and both have gone on to do even better (and weirder!) things.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights