This film quickly moved into third place on my top ten list after watching what I feel is David Lynch's best "dream state" movie yet. Personally ELEPHANT MAN will always be my favorite from him, but this is a very close second. For creative people, this is one of those films that really gets the creative juices flowing, because it's working outside convention at every step and inspires with its creativity.
Rita (Laura Elena Harring, THE FORBIDDEN DANCE) escapes her own murder by driving her car off the windy roads on Mulholland Dr. The crash leaves her with no memories. She finds her way to an abandoned apartment where she meets Betty (Naomi Watts, DANGEROUS BEAUTY), a fledgling actress literally straight off the bus. They travel around L.A. trying to discover Rita's identity. The twisted tale involves a famous director, mobsters, a cowboy and an actress named Camilla Rhodes (Melissa George, DARK CITY).
I could only count about five scenes of reality within the entire film. The rest of the film is psychotic trip through the inner reaches of the main character's psyche. The film works on so many levels that it will take many viewings to unravel the complexity of the imagery. This film is a perfect example of plot being character. Everything that happens in the film is a comment or reflection on its characters. As the bizarre pieces start to come together, the clear this becomes.
The film works wonderful as a satire of the corruptive natural of the movie business and how it captures young women, chews them up and spits them out. Like Lynch's BLUE VELVET did with suburbia, MULHOLLAND DR. pulls away the shiny surface to expose the decay underneath. Lynch makes not too subtle comments about the people who fund films and how they tamper with director's control.
Watts is amazing in the lead -- showing her amazing range all in one film. It's a starmaking performance for its intensity and bravery. I got chills during her audition scenes, which is made all the more powerful because of seeing her practice the part with Rita earlier. Harring brings the right note of mystery to her role and she simmers with sexuality throughout the film.
Note to the passive viewer -- you must pay attention to this one. The story twists and seems at times to be spinning off in random unconnected directions, but in the end, it's like one of those paintings that you stare at and eventually a picture comes into view.
Buy "Mulholland Dr." on DVD Here!
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
