Mulholland Drive

“This is the girl” David Lynch’s love letter to Hollywood and the second part of his ‘LA trilogy’ might as well be the best thing he ever made that isn’t Twin Peaks related. I think I need to let this movie sit with me for a bit because I haven’t felt a bigger punch in the gut like throwing away two thirds of a narrative just to faceplant into the pavement that is reality in this film. It’s kinda hard to stomach. The first ‘half’ is a fairly normal mystery, where the main part moves pretty slowly and the side plot with the director has a couple really funny moments. I was ALMOST bored during that part. But then he does it again. David Lynch from outside the ring with a foldable chair flips everything on its head and I respect him so much for that.  I really liked Lost Highway and not only is this part of the same thematic trilogy but also a pretty direct spiritual successor. Where that movie was all about identity and guilt, this one’s about fantasy and guilt. And boy does it do that well.  All the performances are great but Naomi Watts in particular plays both the hopeful and aspiring Betty just as well as the jealous and hurt Diane incredibly well. You watch yourself sympathize with this small-town-Canada girl and appreciate all her kindness, just to see how vicious and envious she is, yet it’s all out of… “love”.  I encourage everyone who watches this movie for the first time (or second or third or fiftieth) to focus on how everyone is characterized in the first half. Because I’m only just now realizing the significance of Adam Kesher’s life falling apart, Rita’s amnesia and devotion to Betty, Camilla Rhodes’ role being because of a mafia connection and blackmail. It’s all a projection of Diane’s desires. It’s also interesting how narratively and cinematographically the first half is straightforward and chronological, while the second half is strange, disjointed, abstract, and difficult to follow. Which really makes you question which part is reality and which is fantasy.  I know I called this movie a “love letter” to Hollywood but it really does show how bad the whole industry can be. Someone called it evil La La Land and I honestly can’t come up with a better analogy. It shows ideas being discarded, creative visions beat into submission by executives and other interested parties, hopes crushed, people exploited and assaulted. But to Lynch that’s all part of it; to him, something being ugly doesn’t make it any less beautiful, it’s the opposite if anything.  I almost feel stupid for giving this movie a score after having seen it only once because there are so many details that I missed that uncover parts of the greater mystery but it’s just really that special to leave it on “seen” and “liked”. Also, anybody noticed Lynch’s obsession with people named Laura and Diane?  Anyway, moral of the story: Hollywood is evil and makes people delusional