In the mid-1980s late 1980s there is a change in road movies as they give the genre a postmodern rebirth. David Lynch’s Wild At Heart (1990) is an example of this shift in road movies compared to the classic 1970s characteristics of a road movie which were much more dark and moody. Postmodern movies are characterized by their exaggerated irony and cynicism through their intense use of sex, violence and “tongue-in-cheek cool” (Laderman 133). They are driven by image and style that represent the mass popular culture of the time. Wild at Heart is about a couple that seems to be utterly in love and inseparable who find themselves on the run as Lula’s mother intensely disapproves of their relationship and uses her connections to hire a gang to kill Sailor. Although there are various elements to analyze about the movie and different themes that are important to discuss the following essay will focus on analyzing how Sailor and Lula’s romance depicts various elements of postmodern road movies in a depoliticized manner through their complex and rebellious romance. Special focus …show more content…
They find themselves on the run in order to pursue their fantasy of being together and will literally do anything to be together. Their run is not driven by any political nor cultural dissatisfaction, and the characters themselves are rather depoliticized. Their love thrives from the thrill of being on the road, as it drives their sexuality and although they superficially are two rebellious people, they actually simply desire the traditional family. This all boils down in the final ending scene of the movie as it ends in complete contradiction to its violent beginning in a cliché Hollywood melodrama manner. The protagonist do not rebel against tradition, they are road-bound and rebel against the myths that once sustained them (Orgeron