David Lynch’s only Netflix movie is available for streaming now and it’s wonderfully weird

David Lynch – visionary filmmaker, surrealist king, and lover of cherry pie – has died. If you’re planning on working your way through his filmography over the weekend, be sure not to miss the only Netflix movie he ever made. 

It’s a sad day for cinema. Thursday, January 16, 2025, saw the announcement that David Lynch had died at age 78 following a battle with emphysema. As said in a statement, “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch.

“We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’” 

From the start of his career to his final day on earth, Lynch always marched to the beat of his own drum, as evidenced by his art, music, film, and TV, including his only ever Netflix short that’s as wonderfully weird as anyone could hope for. 

Honor David Lynch by streaming his bonkers Netflix movie 

At only 17 minutes long, What Did Jack Do? is well worth adding to the watch list if you’re giving Lynch’s filmography a revisit. Ultimately, it shows Lynch as a detective interrogating a talking capuchin monkey named Jack Cruz. 

Yes, it’s as bizarre as it sounds. But that’s the reason we fell in love with Lynch’s work in the first place. What Did Jack Do? first premiered at the Fondation Cartier in Paris in 2017 before finding a home on Netflix in January 2020. 

The black-and-white film is both enticing and hilarious, with Lynch’s detective asking Jack, “You know anything about birds?” To which he retorts, “Why do you ask?” He later says, “Don’t worry, I’ve heard the phrase birds of a feather flock together.”

And, well, things only get odder from there, culminating in a singing performance about “true love’s flame” and a chicken named Toototabon. Beneath the absurdity, the short serves a 1940s noir aesthetic and a core message that, really, is open for interpretation. 

Lynch undoubtedly has a backcatalog of classics that should be top of the watchlist: Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet… actually the list goes on and on.

But his only Netflix title is peak Lynchian mayhem, and well worth a stream to honor the late King of Chaos. And chin up, as Lynch would say, “It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”