Focusing on the artist's work up to the creation of Eraserhead in 1977, The Art Life is utterly essential for his many followers. They may be surprised by how much of it makes sense.

Crucial for serious fans of Lynch, even if it may baffle newcomers.

Fans will make connections with Lynch's personal anecdotes and the images they know from his films, but watching the artist explain his work is never as interesting as the art itself.

A loosely structured doc that puts Lynch, his art, and his art practice front and center. It's not revelatory, which may frustrate casual fans or newcomers, but for fans, it's a good complement to his early films