Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Documentary considers branches of Coulson’s fascinating career

Cinema | May 12th, 2025

By Greg Carlson

gregcarlson1@gmail.com

Of the many photographs that help tell the story “I Know Catherine, the Log Lady,” the one of David Lynch dressed as FBI Regional Bureau Chief (and later Deputy Director) Gordon Cole saying something amusing to a laughing, slightly out of focus Catherine E. Coulson is my favorite. Director Richard Green, Coulson’s friend of decades, has access to many images and uses dozens — from childhood portraits to surprisingly saucy candids — that add depth to a feature documentary eulogizing a vibrant and creative light. Made with more love and heart than technical polish and filmmaking skill, Green’s movie opened May 9 in Los Angeles ahead of streaming availability this summer.

Obviously, die-hard fans and followers of Lynch and “Twin Peaks” will seek out Green’s portrait, especially because so much of it concentrates on Coulson’s best-known role: wise and watchful Margaret Lanterman, the sphinxlike seer whose presence as the Log Lady made her an enduring favorite throughout the original series, the feature “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” and “Twin Peaks: The Return,” the thrilling, 2017 incarnation of the show that operates as a third season suspended for a quarter of a century. Coulson’s death at the age of 71 from complications related to lung cancer also interrupted her stage career and Green includes testimonials of his subject’s determination by Oregon Shakespeare Festival collaborators and other friends.

Lynch’s death in January links his own mortality to Coulson’s, especially since some of his onscreen commentary addresses their personal interactions when it became clear that her diminished health would make it impossible to travel to film any scenes on location. Green devotes a major section late in the film to a detailed explanation of how the last Log Lady appearance was collected: Lynch directing a local crew over video chat along with the realization for all in attendance that they were witnessing the final communication between old friends. Close since her title appearance in Lynch’s 1974 short “The Amputee,” Coulson’s tireless work on “Eraserhead” cemented her place within Lynch’s filmmaking universe and set the stage to launch her own career as a valued camera operator and focus puller.

Despite the often jumbled and disjointed assembly of events, Green does not downplay Jack Nance’s abuse of then-spouse Coulson during the creation of “Eraserhead.” And to that end, neither does Lynch. Coulson’s later romances and second marriage (especially in relation to her intense love for daughter Zoey Sirinsky) are threaded throughout the film with as much weight and consideration as Green gives to the aftermath of Coulson’s diagnosis and the marquee draw of Log Lady fandom. Along with Lynch, many key “Twin Peaks” cast members sit for interviews, including Kyle MacLachlan, Kimmy Robertson, Michael Horse, Charlotte Stewart, Dana Ashbrook and Grace Zabriskie.

The likeliest viewers of “I Know Catherine, the Log Lady” will already be enthusiastic consumers of black coffee and cherry pie. One can hope, however, that the uninitiated who stumble upon the doc might be drawn to the mysteries surrounding the life and death of Laura Palmer through the cosmic gateway unlatched by the idiosyncratic Margaret Lanterman. Green makes sure to include a somewhat abbreviated account of the Log Lady’s origin story via Lynch’s long-ago plan to hatch an episodic series called “I’ll Test My Log with Every Branch of Knowledge,” a title committed to memory by fans who still dream about the log’s educational visits to the dentist and other professionals while in the loving arms of Ms. Coulson. 

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee NelsonMore than 1,000 pro-worker events are planned for Thursday, May 1 across the country, including rallies in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Minot and Jamestown. East Grand Forks and Bismarck will host protests…

From concerts and car shows to Japanese art and Juneteenth celebrations, there's so much going on around the region this summer. This year's High Plains Reader Summer Events Calendar is back and bigger than ever. It's packed with…

June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…

By John Strandjas@hpr1.com One description that perhaps aptly describes the mental state of many lately is that they feel they are attached to a string. Or several strings. Call it the notion that people are played like puppets,…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comFor sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leechesI suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…

Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Filmmaker Antonella Sudasassi Furniss constructs an engaging sophomore feature with “Memories of a Burning Body,” selected by Costa Rica to be entered for consideration as a possible Oscar…

By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…