Sheer brilliance from one of the world's last true filmmakers

Rating: 10/10 (11 April 2002)

David Lynch is, as far as I am concerned, one of the last true filmmakers left on Earth. His works have the capability of making me laugh hysterically and nervously one moment and quickly switching it over and terrifying me to the point of near tears. He, paired with Angelo Badalamenti, has succeeded in creating one of the most disturbingly beautiful films it has ever been my pleasure to witness.
Lynch has slipped back into the incredible mindframe from which Eraserhead and Wild At Heart emerged with Mulholland Drive. At points in my viewings of this film, my stomach has just been wrenching with confusion at the wild barrage of emotions sparked by the seemingly random images on the screen. Scenes that come specifically to mind are the ghostly Club Silencio scene and the freakishly bizarre meeting with The Cowboy. Lynch left Mulholland Drive so abstract for a reason, and that is is that he wants the viewer to make it his own by applying his or her own interpretation to it. People who do not like to think for themselves will not enjoy this movie. Anyone who enjoys the latest action flick or the latest crappy Disney movie will not enjoy this movie. Those of us who believe that film is an art form and a medium for self-expression will most definitely enjoy it. It is an incredible piece of cinema and hopefully will be soon forgotten by everyone in America except those of us who are truly capable of appreciating it.
(By the way, Lynch got hosed at the Oscars. Even someone who knows nothing about film would admit that Mulholland Drive is far more visually interesting than whatever it was that won.)