Review of Mulholland Dr. (1999) by Andrew R — 05 Jul 2011

Leave it to David Lynch to weave you through a mysterious neo-noir , that offers some of the most bizarre sequences ever shot on film. After the viewing of this twisted tale, it took some deep thinking and honestly, some back up information to fully comprehend it, but even then, I don't think "Mulholland Drive" is a film that's meant to be fully understood. It's Lynch film. In an interview, he insisted that there is in fact a story going on, but the way it is presented appears non-linear and hard, but entertaining enough, to follow.

There's a quote in this movie said by the actor Justin Theroux who plays the character of Adam Kesher, a Hollywood movie director. It goes, "this day just keeps getting stranger," which is EXACTLY how I felt about this movie. Lynch always has a way of displaying some absurd or provocatively disturbing thing that will either turn you away or have you curious to know who, what, where, and why? In another one of his brilliant pictures (Blue Velvet), he has an intriguing way of showcasing monstrous events; juxtaposing over-the-top, evil characters with stereotypical good-boy heroes (one part shows evil mobsters conspiring with Hollywood producers when it suddenly cuts to Naomi Watts entering Las Angeles as if she's a character straight out of a classic) . In "Mulholland Drive," the heroes (or heroines in this case), are Betty (played by Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Harring). The two become wrapped into an intriguing mystery when Rita loses her memory from a car accident and happens into the Apartment of Betty, an up and coming actress looking to live her dreams and make it big in Hollywood. Not much is explained, but as they try and put the clues together, they plunge deeper and deeper into the soul of a dark knight, and an uncompromising evil.

Through a couple of scouting trips (the two go to a housing complex where Rita thinks a woman named Diane is) the girls learn that the mystery behind who Rita is turns out to be more surreal then they can imagine. Then...fore say...an audience member can imagine. The story itself is complicated, and Lynch doesn't take the time to slow down and make sure you're keeping up. There are, I will admit, some random scenes that intertwined the main plot that I couldn't tell were either a dream, hallucination, or really happening. In one scenes, director Adam Kesher angrily bashes a limo with a golf-club and then speeds home quickly to catch his wife with another male. This part struck me as "well, ok." What did it offer to the plot? Well, I think it obviously tells you something about the character, but as far as anything else beyond that, I couldn't say for sure if Lynch truly had anything planned out. And that's not to say it didn't fit, just made the overall flow of the film seem strange.

"Mulholland Drive" is not a film you can expect to wrap up nicely and all come together in the end. It's not one you can expect to get completely, no matter how many times you view it. The genius non-linear storyline Lynch has created has caused you to try and think up, even maybe over-analyze the story until you're satisfied with it yourself. Films like "Mulholland Drive" are good to watch again, and this isn't as hard a movie to watch as "Blue Velvet." There are some great Noir shots, dark shadows and gloomy music. I was reminded of the film "Sunset Boulevard," and how both these movies are exploiting the mainstream Hollywood stereotype that shows how the streets of Hollywood are paved with gold. The industry is harsh and cruel, that's eminent in scenes where the director does to a cast meeting and meets with literal mobsters who show him a picture and say coldly, "This Is The Girl," as if he was given no other choice in actress. It's an attempt to represent all those times the industry seemed to take over imagination, using classic over-the-top evil Lynch bad-guys to embody it.

There are some well-acted parts between Watts and Harring, and what you may learn in the end (if you can look past the lesbo-scenes) is that at the heart of "Mulholland Drive" is a sort of twisted love story. Almost like how shocking the horror novel "Dracula" appears when you learn the Count's just lustful for love, not really blood. And through all the good techniques of making the time frame seen bunked and non-chronological, by the end you may not know what to make of it. "Mulholland Drive's" a Noir, a mystery, a dark fantasy, hell even a horror film. But because it's so unique and never been done in a way as it is, you know you will be in for something good. The tempo, the use of subtle music and in-depth, well written characters performed with utmost enthusiasm make this film one of Lynch's best films.