Eraserhead – Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art

The legendary debut of David Lynch in a restored 4K copy: fear and disgust have never felt so real!

Filled with surreal symbolism and body mutations worthy of David Cronenberg, created using practical special effects, the film presents a terrifying portrait of the fear of adulthood and fatherhood. This is a work that inspired The Shining, Pi, and the art of the legendary H.R. Giger!

Harry Spencer (the magnetic Jack Nance) is a printer on vacation, living in a frightening, ruined, surreal American town. During a disturbing introductory dinner with the parents of his beloved Mary X (Charlotte Stewart), he learns that his partner has given birth to his deformed child. After a long-distance relationship, they must immediately marry and start a family. However, it quickly becomes clear that motherhood overwhelms Mary, who leaves Harry. Left alone in his new role, Harry descends into increasingly surreal visions with musical elements.

The dreamlike narrative style, the multitude of unexplained signs, and the elusive dark spirituality make Eraserhead the most mysterious and open to interpretation film by Lynch. The director himself called it "a dream of darkness and anxiety." Although initially rejected by critics and audiences—some even calling it "vomit-inducing tastelessness"—over time the film has gained cult status. Today, Eraserhead regularly appears on lists of the best films of the seventies and is considered one of the most important achievements of cinematic surrealism.