Review of Mulholland Drive (2001) by Michael C — 20 Nov 2011

I never, ever thought I would say this, but I watched this notoriously incomprehensible film again 10 years after the first time I saw it, and by God, it actually makes sense! And not just in some vague thematic way; when you see it the second time, you realize there's actually a perfectly sensible plot explanation for almost everything that happens in the movie. I don't want to explain it lest I spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it (or have only seen it once), but suffice to say my mind was blown by how much more sense it made this time.

The movie opens in a rather Twin-Peaks-y way with a chipper young actress named Betty (Naomi Watts) landing in Los Angeles for the first time to stay at her absent aunt's apartment. She meets a woman who is suffering from amnesia after a car accident, and together they try to solve the mystery of who she is. There's also a hip young movie director played by Justin Theroux who plays a key part. And that's all I have to say about the plot.

Naomi Watts gives an extraordinary performance (or group of performances, actually - you'll see) as Betty. The role requires her to play in a lot of different registers, not just emotionally, but as if she were on different levels of reality at different points in the movie, and she pulls it off beautifully. Again, you might not pick up on how good her performance is until a second viewing. Laura Harring is also really excellent as the amnesiac woman. Theroux's part is a little bit dryer, but he's funny and likable in his own way here.

I have to give full credit to David Lynch for making this movie as incredible as it is. You can put this alongside Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks as his absolute best work, and all three are really fantastic. There are still Lynch movies I don't like, but when he's really at the top of his game, he's a truly amazing filmmaker. It does take a second viewing to appreciate all the little clues and layers of reality Lynch is putting in front of you; you'll more than likely miss most of it the first time. But even if you don't like the movie the first time you see it, wait a while, then go back to it, and you'll be amazed by it. Obviously there are certain things in the plot that can't be literal (Club Silencio, for example), but just about everything here can in fact be explained either in terms of plot or of the characters' psychology. I feel like I've reached some new plane of mental capacity today. I feel like the guy seeing Jupiter in 2001: A Space Odyssey when he says, "My God, it's full of stars!", except I'm saying, "My God, Mulholland Drive really does work!".