Dazzling Imperfection

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 2001)

A very haunting and tragic film. Yes, I have to agree that it seems a little cobbled together (TV pilot turned into a feature) but I don't think the ending is as confusing as some reviewers make it out to be. Once the mysterious union between the two women is symbolically consummated by the Blue Box and Key, the movie jumps forward perhaps several years. At this point, the names of the lead characters are interchanged with those of some of the incidental characters. Could the point be that most Hollywood hopefulls end up in one of several roles: waitress, prostitute, or jealous "nobody" forever envious of the people who "made it"? Does the Man in the Alley represent the dark truths about glamour and vanity? Do the crazed old people at the end represent Betty's memories of the simple life she left behind coming back to haunt her? One thing is clear: the innocent and naive Betty is taken advantage of, and has her dreams shattered in a very brutal and bizarre way. When she falls in love with "Rita" she doesn't know who she's falling in love with. In fact, nothing is what it seems. Lynch has called it a "love story in a city of dreams." Likewise, it's a Tragedy in a City of Delusion.