So you’ve seen WHAT DID JACK DO?, the 17 minute David Lynch short film just released on Netflix and you’re wondering, “What on Earth did I just watch? Surely I must be missing something…”.

You understood that a man interrogates a talking monkey…whose name is Jack…and Jack loves a chicken named Toototabon or something…but what’s the meaning behind it all? There must be a reason for something so insane! EXPLAIN THIS MADNESS TO ME INTERNET!?!

Well, we’re here to tell you that what you saw is pretty much what you get. No, seriously. There isn’t a hidden meaning. You really did just watch a man and a monkey have a weird ass conversation in a train station about murder and heartfelt chicken love…

All you have to do is take one look at the name of David Lynch’s production company, Absurda, along with the filmmaker’s past work to understand. David Lynch is engaging in absurdism, which in essence refers to the friction between the human desire to make sense of what we see in the world, and the inherent randomness and chaoticness that exists and cannot be explained.

While some of Lynch’s work contains deeper meaning, much of it is surreal for the sake of being surreal. Dreamlike for the sake of being dreamlike, to make you question what it is you’re watching, to make your brain process what it is witnessing. This style can make the viewer notice themes and meaning in the story that were never intentional.

When it comes to finding deeper meaning in WHAT DID JACK DO?, whether it’s behind Jack and Toototabon, the investigator, the murder, what do the species of animals represent, the cup of coffee, etc…, you’re exercising your creativity, not getting closer to any actual truth. The actual truth is that there is none. It is simply absurd.

A second viewing certainly makes the film easier to follow, but you’ll likely find it remains just as impossible trying to make sense of it.

You spent 17 minutes watching a monkey get interrogated and talk about his love for a bird. That’s basically it.









Click here to read why we think all the WHAT DID JACK REVIEWS? out there are pointless and dumb.