Mulholland Drive (2001)

Director: David Lynch

Story: David Lynch

Cast: Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux

Music: Angelo Badalamenti

Time: 146 minutes

Bottom-line: Can be considered anything from trash to masterpiece

David Lynch’s neo-noir thriller, Mulholland Drive, is one of the most mind-boggling films you’ll ever come across - mostly because the more you try to make sense of it, the lesser you come closer to doing so. Interlinking several storylines and objects of interest and unusual people, the film can be regarded as anything from “fabulous” to “utter nonsense” based on how one interprets the story and climax. The cast consists of Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller and Robert Forster.

In the first storyline, we see a dark-haired woman (Harring) barely escape her own murder; she however loses her memory in the accident and wanders into an empty house. Meanwhile, as aspiring young actress Betty Elms (Watts) arrives at the same house. She finds the other woman, who names herself Rita. As Betty attempts to look through her purse hoping to find an identity, she finds fifty grand in cash, and a weird blue key. In another track, director Adam Kesher (Theroux) is being blackmailed by mobsters to cast an actress called Camilla Rhodes in the lead… a role that Betty is also trying for. As the story goes we see how both these tracks merge, along with other seemingly trivial scenes and incidents.

 

Watts as Betty (left) and Harring as Rita

If, after watching the film, you have no idea what the hell you just saw… welcome to the club! The first two hours are cryptic as such – bringing in a lot of characters, each with their own story – and other objects like the black book, the blue key, the blue box, and the fifty thousand dollars. The last half hour connects all these elements…the only problem being that the link seems to be an entire story altogether! Mulholland Drive explores what is real, and what is not.

  As a Hollywood actress, Betty seems to have everything going her way; a mansion to stay in, her romantic relationship being the way she wants it to be, and her acting skills winning the admiration of many. Then there is the amnesiac woman, having her own set of weird traits: a large sum of money she has no idea about, a mysterious blue key, and the name of “Diane Selwyn” playing a role too. There are other smaller roles like Betty’s aunt, Camilla Rhodes, and a hitman. The last half hour makes sense to some extent, but then it is up to you if you want to believe what Lynch is trying to say. In fact, one analyst commented that the act of Rita trying to find her own identity is analogous to the viewers making sense of the film!

Theraux as Ada

Irrespective of the twisted plot, the acting is pretty amazing, and definitely needs appreciation whether you liked the story or not! Naomi Watts plays such a versatile role in the film, and why it is so complex and elegant is revealed in the end. Harring seems to be play the role of a femme fatale… everything about her leads to trouble. Who is she anyway?? Both the actresses have excelled in their performances: they can be charming, seductive, and the polar opposite too!

The blue key, blue box and
the lamp... few objects to look out for

Mulholland Drive needs two or three watches to get the plot, but even then you realise it is final how you as a viewer interpret it. A poorly made film with too much drama? Or an ingenious, crafty neo-noir? You get to decide. But this is one film you can keep debating about on and on, and in fact, several critics have stated "It's best not to overanalyse the film"! A simple explanation can be given, or a detailed one (based on how many metaphors and symbols one can interpret), but one thing for sure - you are not going to understand the film at all. 

My Rating: 3/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 82%