Silencio

Rating: 9/10 (28 March 2015)

Every film doesn't have to be Transformers 4, where there is absolutely no substance or meat to the product, sometimes we get films like Mulholland Drive, where I do more thinking before and after this movie than I have done for the last 15 movies I have seen combined. David Lynch has always been one for secrecy so I'm not sure we will ever get the true meaning of Mulholland Drive. But I think that's okay, I mean it's good to have multiple interpretations of a film in general. For me, I'm not entirely sure I know the truth, but I can try.
It's basically a story of hopeful and broken dreams in Hollywood. Not only is it a commentary on how we think it all works but it's a maniacal thriller about not getting recognition for what you think you have accomplished in life. It plays with reality and the fictionalized versions of what we hope reality was or is. Naomi Watts plays the lead role, Diane Selwyn, a hopeful actress who is wishing for her break or chance to shine in Hollywood. The film also deals with the depths at which you would go to succeed and be noticed. Watts brings so much range to this character. Sure she technically plays both Betty and Diane so it calls for separate personalities. But it's not an obvious change. I think that's the most important part of her performance is that she exposes just the right amount of madness and sadness when needed. It's crazy to think about how the first half of the film is pretty much fake. It's all a reality or dream that Diane creates to see her life how she hopes it would have been and to see Camilla as Rita, a much better fit as a love interest.
I basically see this film as the love child as 3 films. It has the story telling and narrative structure as Pulp Fiction, the hopeful then broken dreams of Sunset Blvd., and the descent into madness and suffering like Black Swan displays. Lynch creates a masterpiece of a film but also one that I don't know I will ever want to watch again. Whether it's the maliciously laughing old people or the monster like hobo, Mulholland Drive is one of the more disturbing films I have seen. Not that I read but it's like a book you don't want to put down but are terrified to find out what happens next. Knowing it's a David Lynch film means it's not going to have a happy ending or meaning. Instead it's a bit of a cynical view on Hollywood or what we thought Hollywood was. I love the way Lynch uses the camera as an extra character following around the story to create both more suspense and a certain amount of familiarity with this world. We are going to look back at this film decades from now and realize how incredible it was. The surrealism Lynch brings to the story creates both the promising reality we want for Diane and the tragedy we feared for Betty. It's a beautiful disaster film at it's core. I commend this film for daring to be so different than anything we have really seen before and shout out to Profiles (with Malone and Mantz) for pushing me to see this film. A true masterpiece.
+Watts' range
+Commentary on the industry
+Impeccably written and directed
+Surrealism Descent into madness
9.2/10