Review of Mulholland Dr. (1999) by Matthew S — 29 Jul 2015

An energetic, ambitious and talented beauty arrives in LA fresh off the plane. She is confident that she has what it takes to make it big in the glam world of movies. A beauty who seems to be just a bit older is in a horrific car wreck.

With no memory of who she is, she stumbles her way down from Mulholland Drive and into the apartment that the excited would-be-starlet is about to arrive. Once she arrives, David Lynch's energetic and experimental film forms itself into a rambling mystery.

Think Nancy Drew meets Edvard Munch for an experimental journey on peyote through the land of hope and dreams of a Hollywood long dead.

The inspiration for this film came from a filming mini-series that the network abandoned. Most filmmakers would have been at a loss, but David Lynch pulls together fragments of various subplots that lead our two protagonists on a danger and erotically-fueled journey of hope, dreams, tragedy, confusion and identity.

This is a beautiful puzzle of a movie. No pieces are missing, but no amount of repeated viewing will ever allow for a full understanding of what is essentially a genuine work of art that applies just enough intelligence to mix with Surrealism and dark comedy.

Of particular interest is a seeming erotic connection that leads us into one of the most intentionally comical views of lesbian sex filmed entirely from the viewpoint of a straight male fantasy. What begins as an intense erotic moment quickly turns to comedy and then transports us into a world of unknown horrors.

A visual and aural lush experience. Best to simply allow it to flow over you. Again and again. Mulholland Drive is brilliantly deceptive and endlessly entertaining.

Not to be missed.