Mulholland Drive

How do you even begin to talk about David Lynch's movie Mulholland Drive? Simply put, the film is odd and downright confusing. It is nearly impossible to describe what the film is about. The simplest synopsis I can give is that it revolves around a car crash that prodcuces an amnesiaca victim who goes by the name Rita (though she does not know her real name), played by Laura Harring. Rita is befriended by a newcomer to LA, Betty (Naimo Watts) and together they attempt to unravel Rita's past. I am a fan of stories that many would define as strange, convoluted and hard to follow - shows such as the X-Files, Fringe, Alias and Lost are among some of my favorite programs of all time - but it is important that ultimately the stories come together and make sense and it is immensely helpful if the story revolves around well-devleoped characters that we come to care about. Mulholland Drive never comes together to make sense and doesn't give us characters to connect to. It feels like Lynch just gave up and decided there was no real way to explain everything and piece it all together. The result is a very dissatisfying movie.

There was much ado makde about this being Naomi Watts break-out role when this movie came out. I like Watts, but I cannot share in this enthusiasim for her role here. It feels very mechanical for most of the movie and only really picks up steam at the end, following a major plot shift (that I won't reveal here for those who still wish to see the film). Really the only positive I can say about this film is that the photography and lighting were very good. The mood is set from the get-go with dark lighting emphasizing the mystery of what is happening and surrounding the mysterious Rita. In contrast extremely bright light surrounds Watts sunny character until she begins getting close to Rita and thus shares her dark lighting.

If you like Lynch's past work (among his best known works are Lost Highway and the Twin Peaks television series) then you may get some enjoyment out of this convoluted film. If you are not a fan of Lynch's work, I would recommend staying away from this mess of a story.