Wild at Heart is a 1990 American film written and directed by David Lynch, based on Barry Gifford's pulp novel Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula (1990) that revolves around Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) and Lula Pace Fortune (Laura Dern), a young couple from Cape Fear, North Carolina who decide to go on the run from her domineering mother (Diane Ladd). As a result of her mother's plans, the mob becomes involved.

Lynch was originally going to only produce the film but, after reading Gifford's book, he decided to write and direct the film version himself. The filmmaker did not like the ending of the novel and decided to change it in order to stay true to his vision of the main characters.

Wild at Heart is a road movie and includes bizarre, almost supernatural events and off-kilter violence with sometimes overtly heavy allusions to The Wizard of Oz and strong references to Elvis Presley and his movies that found their way into screenplay as Lynch was writing it.

Early test screenings for Wild at Heart did not go well; Lynch estimated that 80 people walked out of the first test screening and 100 in the next. The film received mixed to negative critical reviews and was a moderate success at the United States box office, grossing USD $14 million, above its $10 million budget. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival, which received both negative and positive attention by the audience. Diane Ladd was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.

Lula's psychopathic mother goes crazy at the thought of Lula being with Sailor, who just got free from jail. Ignoring Sailor's probation, they set out for California. However their mother hires a killer to hunt down Sailor. Unaware of this, the two enjoy their journey and themselves being together... until they witness a young woman dying after a car accident - a bad omen. Written by Tom Zoerner

Young lovers Sailor and Lula take off for New Orleans following Sailor's release from prison, with Lula's hysterical mother, a weary detective and a sinister hitman after them. During their journey, Lula and Sailor relate the events of their lives to date, while encountering a typical gallery of Lynch grotesques. After being stranded in a small town, Sailor agrees to join the loathsome Bobby Peru in a criminal venture. Written by Bernard Keane

After breaking parole for self defensive manslaughter, Sailor Ripley and his girlfriend Lula Fortune head down the highway for sunny California. Lula's mother sends out a private detective and a hitman after them. Sailor and Lula encounter an assortment of extremely bizarre "people" while discovering hidden secrets about one another. Full of lurid imagery and references to The Wizard of Oz. Written by Jennifer Harrison

Sailor and Lula are two rebelious kids. Lula's mother hates Sailor, and pays a man to attack him. Sailor kills the attacker, and ends up in jail. Lula waits for him to be released, teams up with him, and they both cross the country trying to stay one step ahead of the mother... Written by Colin Tinto

A love story. Sailor and Lula are amalgamations of distanciated American iconography. Their horizons are constituted by little more than TV; they think they're wild at heart; and their romance sets them off on a post industrial Odyssey. Written by Mark C. Bourland