Lynch meets Bunuel

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2001)

I've been a 'fan' of David Lynch's work for it's quirkiness and playful, albeit, self indulgent surrealism. "Mulholland Drive" however, has the director's 'tricks' firmly serving a script. He uses his technique and brilliant moodiness to not only fulfill narrative, but create a character. Naomi Watts is stunning as our 'guide' and 'subject.' I felt I was watching a film comparable to Luis Bunuel's "Belle de Jour" in it's ability to take me down an unknown path, into it's own dream, and then slap me awake by it's finale.
It is a very mature film. There is no doubt that at about the 1 hour 45 minute mark, I and the audience around me, were beginning to get restless, though the following half hour is MORE than a payoff. It takes patience and submission and deserves to be relished. It is also a film for which Mr. Lynch joins the ranks of "International Cinema" along with Bunuel, and the like.