David Lynch’s Blue Velvet through Freud’s lens: The hidden psychological drama you missed

Blue Velvet is a thriller and mystery film directed by David Lynch. It is set in a small American town that appears safe and tranquil. But the film proves that beneath this idyllic facade, there is something sinister.

The central character is Jeffrey Beaumont, who is a college student. He returns to his hometown, Lumberton, North Carolina, due to his father's medical crisis. One afternoon, while strolling in a deserted field, Jeffrey discovers something horrific—a severed human ear. He takes the ear to the police.

But Jeffrey is inquisitive. He would like to know where the ear originated and what occurred.

He begins to investigate the mystery himself. Shortly, he meets Sandy Williams, a local detective's daughter. Sandy assists Jeffrey in investigating. Their investigation takes them to a woman named Dorothy Vallens. She is a nightclub performer.

Dorothy is in extreme danger. Her husband and little son have been taken by a guy named Frank Booth. Frank is violent, vicious, and dangerous. Frank blackmails Dorothy into sex by swearing to hurt her family.

While trying to help Dorothy, Jeffrey is pulled into a dark and ghastly world. He is exposed to things he could never imagine—brutality, sexual violence, and fear. He gets emotionally involved with Dorothy, too, which increases the complexity. As the narrative goes on, Jeffrey discovers that the town is not so innocent after all.

The movie is famous for showcasing the coexistence of two worlds: the shimmering, utopian exterior of American suburban life and the degenerate, violent underworld that lies beneath.

Blue Velvet also questions deeper concepts. The film applies bizarre images and emotional sequences to illustrate the manner in which individuals conceal their deep desires, fears, and traumas. Several of these concepts stem from the works of Sigmund Freud, an acclaimed psychologist. The film applies concepts such as the unconscious mind, repressed desires, and the struggle between civilized conduct and innate urges.

Some contend that the movie is like a psychological labyrinth. It's full of suspense, symbols, and mystery. Through its characters, it depicts how individuals wrestle with sex, fear, control, and identity.

Eventually, Jeffrey has to deal with all of these threats and fight back. There is a bloody final confrontation, after which life in the town appears peaceful once more. But the movie leaves us wondering—how much of that darkness is still present, lurking beneath the surface?

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The Oedipal currents in Blue Velvet

Jeffrey Beaumont's adventure in Blue Velvet is a reflection of a concept by Freud known as the Oedipus complex.

The Oedipus Complex is a stage in early childhood, usually between the ages of three and six, when a child unconsciously wants the opposite-sex parent and feels rivalry or jealousy towards the same-sex parent. For example, a boy might bond very closely with his mother and consider his father a rival for her affection, even if he doesn't realize it.

In Jeffrey's life, this manifests in odd and emotional terms.

The story begins when Jeffrey returns to his hometown to be with his father after he has a stroke. This illness is a symbolic loss of power, as if the father is taken away.

With his father no longer present, Jeffrey starts looking for new male role models, such as Detective Williams (a representation of order) and Frank Booth, a brutal murderer who symbolizes chaos.

Jeffrey is also attracted to two women: Dorothy Vallens, a disturbed nightclub singer, and Sandy Williams, the innocent daughter of the detective.

These two women represent two aspects of femininity: Dorothy, sensual and mystical, and Sandy, innocent and chaste. This symbolizes a tension between maternal and virginal archetypes.

Frank Booth is the most disturbing character in the film. He can be seen as Jeffrey’s “dark father” figure, and also a symbol of the Oedipal antagonist.

Frank is obsessed with blue velvet, a fabric that reminds him of Dorothy and possibly the comfort of a mother. But instead of showing love, he expresses his feelings through abuse and control.

Frank's actions demonstrate a child's conflicted feelings—needing love from the mother, yet being angry and violent.

Freud thought children could experience this type of conflict. Frank is a child who never outgrew these conflicting feelings and is therefore dangerous and unstable.

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Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego in the movie

Freud also had another theory about the mind. He stated the mind has three components:

The Id: our unchecked desires and urges.

The Ego: the component that attempts to keep things in balance.

The Superego: our conscience and moral sense of right and wrong.

We can witness these three components in Blue Velvet:

Frank Booth is the Id

Frank responds to raw desire and anger. He's sexual, violent, selfish, and unpredictable. He does not care about rules. He simply does what he wants. This is precisely how the Id operates—it desires immediate gratification with no restraints.

Jeffrey Beaumont is the Ego

Jeffrey is caught in between. He needs to uncover the truth and rescue Dorothy, yet he also experiences curiosity and desire towards her evil world. Concurrently, however, he understands what is good. Jeffrey attempts to reconcile these two worlds. That is what the Ego does—it suppresses the Id while coping with the laws of society.

Detective Williams and Sandy are the Superego

Detective Williams embodies the law and morality. He cautions Jeffrey not to overstep. Sandy, being kind and optimistic, also embodies what is good and ideal. Both of them play the role of the Superego, reminding Jeffrey of what's right.

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How it all comes together

At the start of the movie, Jeffrey's father has a stroke. This is a symbolic removal of the "old authority" presence in Jeffrey's life. With his father no longer present, Jeffrey has to do things by himself, without firm guidance.

Jeffrey's quest for the truth turns into something more than a mystery—it's as if he's venturing into the dark recesses of his own mind.

As he gets drawn deeper into Frank's gruesome and perverse world, he's actually confronting his own repressed desires and terrors.

Finally, when Jeffrey kills Frank, it illustrates the Ego (Jeffrey) attempting to regain control over the id (Frank).

The act restores a measure of order. But the story also warns us that our darker impulses don't simply disappear—they can only be kept in check, not eliminated.

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Hidden desires and repressed feelings

The town of Lumberton seems idyllic on the surface. But beneath, perversions and secrets reside. This is in accordance with Freud's concept of the unconscious mind—a space where individuals conceal desires and terrors that they are unable to confront. Lynch's reality is rife with odd, dreamlike acts that reflect the way people feel on the inside.

Freud labeled this concept as "polymorphous perversity." It signifies that individuals may derive pleasure from many diverse routes—far more than the usual or anticipated ways. A couple of instances found in the film are:

Voyeurism (observing others): Jeffrey peeks into Dorothy's closet. Sandy even eavesdrops on her dad's police investigation.

Sadomasochism (pain combined with pleasure): Jeffrey is asked to hurt Dorothy when they have sex. Frank abuses her, too, but plays the part of a child.

Fetishism: Frank's infatuation with blue velvet and his use of gas while he refers to Dorothy as "Mommy" expresses an odd combination of desire and childhood trauma.

Freud felt that these kinds of cravings tend to originate in childhood. Individuals do not necessarily know where these emotions are coming from, but they determine the way that they act later in life.

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Family, fear, and civilization

Blue Velvet also touches on family trauma. The tidy homes and manicured lawns of Lumberton conceal something rotten. The movie begins with a severed ear lying on the ground—a jarring symbol that something is terribly amiss beneath the surface.

This is consistent with Freud's suggestion that society attempts to suppress our darker desires, but they somehow manage to come back.

Jeffrey's quest is a dream or nightmare in which he must confront the aspects of life (and himself) most people would like to deny.

When Jeffrey witnesses Frank attacking Dorothy, it's as if he is experiencing a "primal scene"—a scene of intense emotional trauma involving family, power, and helplessness.

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Feminist perspectives

Some critics, such as Laura Mulvey, interpret Blue Velvet as a story of the Oedipus complex and male psychology. However, not everyone shares that opinion.

Feminist critics have identified issues with the film. They argue that it is too much from Jeffrey's perspective and uses Dorothy primarily as a victim. Her pain becomes part of Jeffrey's emotional journey, rather than being handled as her own narrative.

Blue Velvet also illustrates a typical issue in how women are represented in narratives: they are either represented as pure and perfect (such as Sandy) or sexual and damaged (such as Dorothy).

This dichotomy is referred to as the Madonna-whore complex, another Freudian concept that continues to influence how women are represented in media today.