A postmodern movie mystery that is not to be missed!

Rating: 10/10 (27 September 2010)

With "Mulholland Dr." David Lynch presents his greatest stride yet, giving a surrealist pop dream that is as irresistible as it is confounding, and raising a huge middle finger to Hollywood conventions while never compromising entertainment. Perhaps what the movie accomplishes best is the feeling of unease and disorientation - the camera twists and turns as much as layered plot and the constant dichotomy of tone never gives a comfortable dwelling. For every tender or erotic moment there is an underlying distortion, giving a near subliminal terror that drives the whole movie and mocks everything we're given. This attention to craft and detail makes the movie's tone one of the most important plot devices of all (and is really the main key to figure out what is going on). Understanding the movie isn't necessarily a matter of logic; it's more like seeing the picture in one of those optical illusion eye puzzles - once you find it, it's there, even if the picture isn't clear on the surface level. It's this postmodern take on the idea of the mystery genre that makes "Mulholland Dr." one of the more unique movies I have ever seen.
The movie stands on its own just fine, but the more films I watch, the more I see its influences: the character relations in Bergman's "Persona," Godard's colorful capricious style, Fellini's self-conscious abstractions, Buñuel's vicious humor and beyond. I realize these directors are some of the masters of the art, and I wouldn't draw such grand comparisons if I felt they weren't earned, but Lynch delivers on every front, giving us a movie that is sure to leave you spellbound. Have I convinced you to watch it yet?