I watched ‘Inland Empire’ and ‘Blue Velvet’ (read the content warning labels first) and I have no idea what these movies are about or what they’re trying to tell me. I had the same feeling with watching Chainsaw Man. d; Does anyone know what these movies are supposed to be about?
I don’t think I’m “sophisticated” enough to have a well-informed opinion. I don’t think he’s for the literarily/cinematographically naïve. Every art form develops its own “language,” and to fully appreciate it you need to learn that language and its historical development. I think he’s something of a cinematographer’s cinematographer.
If you watch his first film. Eraserhead, it’s excruciatingly clear that nothing is intended to be taken literally, and that there’s no one simple/pat/“right” answer/interpretation is intended.