Factory Mask (David Lynch, 2002, USA)

Factory Mask is among the shortest of David Lynch's short films - the film clocks in at a mere 46 seconds. The film opens with a shot of what appears to be a factory. There is a boiler, some pipes, what looks to be a ladder, and various other pieces scattered about. For those familiar with Lynch's oeuvre, this setting will look familiar. Several of Lynch's shorts take place in these factory-type settings. There is a low industrial hum that persists as a valve on the boiler pops open. A cloud of smoke pops out of the boiler with a house, causing some kind of light fixture above it to move back and forth. 

The dangling of the light fixture continues for a few seconds, while the droning hum persists. Suddenly a figure appears behind the ladder. It is a man standing obscured behind the ladder. The film then fades to black. The basic non-events of this short film have spawned a humorous comment thread on YouTube, where seemingly hundreds of commenters have simply left the comment "OK" on the video. The film seems to be a part of Lynch's career when he was prolifically making these kinds of shorts - something akin to what you would have seen on Newgrounds at the time. Primitive animations, with one-joke punchlines scattered throughout. Essentially the only thing to speak of in the film is the jump scare of the valve and leave popping off of the boiler. There is no mask within the film, which may come as a disappointment to some viewers. Factory Mask is among the least notable of David Lynch's short films of the sheer fact that nothing happens in it. There are plenty of other better shorts directed by David Lynch that are worth seeking out.

3/10