Official reviews of this latest film from David Lynch descried it at best as "opaque", "hard to summarize" and "to be experienced rather than explained", to at worst "indulgent", "complete nonsense" and made without consideration for the audience. However, in defense of David Lynch, for one who has followed a number of his films Inland Empire holds a coherent and linear narrative, and one that most novice Lynch viewers can follow with a few pointers. As with many of Lynch's films, much of the narrative is played out in the main character's subconscious or dreamscape. Arguable in the case of Inland Empire this is true for the entire film. There a few mechanism's Lynch has used in a number of films that recur here to highlight this. In particular floor-to-ceiling red drapes (best known for the "Black Lodge" of Twin Peaks) indicate the subconscious, and the character moving through the drapes either indicates a deeper delving in to the subconscious or an elevation towards reality. Also a static room populated with strange characters usually indicates the very depths of the subconscious and typically as a character approaches this room this indicates a complete detachment from reality and decent in to psychosis. It is important to note, as with Mulholland Drive, the principle character the audience is introduced to  Nikki (as played by Laura Dern)  is not the protagonist. It is the protagonist's most prominent extension of herself in her own subconscious, though not necessarily the only one. The genuine protagonist makes a brief appearance half way through the film with only one line of dialogue. The basic story is of "a woman in trouble" as quoted by Lynch. This can be expanded on with a number of options without spoiling the film (Lynch's real skill is making films that are practically impossible to spoil). This troubled woman is a neglected, possibly abused, wife who could possibly be a stranger in a foreign land thus furthering her alienation. However she has dreams of much greater things  hence her subconscious extension of herself as Nikki (Laura Dern), a desirable movie star. In her real life she pursues her dream through a one-sided affair with a Lothario type figure. She is jilted by her lover and is left with an unwanted pregnancy. She loses the baby  "her son"  either through a beating from her husband, or a self inflicted or back street abortion. At this point she may or may not murder her husband. Either way guilt, anger and abandonment combine with her existing feelings of alienation to accelerate her downward spiral. The usual hard drugs and sex follow, further increasing the protagonist's desire to detach from reality. Ultimately she dies, either physically or through a complete and permanent detachment from reality  as indicated by the brief uniting of her happy family, son included. In this context, be it however close to Lynch's vision, all the imagery of the film can be interpreted and the plot followed from beginning to end. Lynch always leaves his films open to interpretation, and he is especially reluctant to explain his stories  the above "a woman in trouble" was his most forthcoming explanation of this film when pushed. This is definitely a film for the viewer to choose to be engaged and not simply an indulgence by and for David Lynch himself.