A detailed explanation on why this is a brilliant movie

Rating: Null/10 (22 April 2002)

Spoiler Alert MD is an excellent movie, the work of a genius. I don't understand why so many people have such a hard time understanding the movie. First of all, first part is a dream. Like in any dreams, characters from real life become somebody else and may assume different personalities.Like in any dream, not everything can be clearly explained. You can interpret what you just dreamt, but you won't have a clear answer on its symbolism. If you understand that, you shouldn't expect clear answers for who all the characters were. That's the beauty of it: this is a subjective experience - you can bring your own opinion and whatever that is it WILL be correct! That's what surrealism is! Anyway, for those who were shocked by the sudden change in the plot: first of all, first minute of the movie shows you the camera going into a pillow - basically, a clear way of saying that what follows is a dream. Secondly, there were a lot of events that didn't have a clear logic (remember the Cowboy simply disappearing? how could that be possible?), so that was another big hint some of the events were not real. Third, without the plot 'twist' in the end, the movie would have been just another bad movie, since there was no other way to explain those events in a logical manner. In the end, you realize that all the events were generated by Diane's mind. All she wanted from life was to succeed as an actress and to get Camilla's love. Instead, her life is a nightmare. She never succeeded and Camilla doesn't love her and humiliates her every time she can. So, Diane decides to kill her and hires the hitman for the job. After this, she has a dream - in her dream she tries to take control of her life and become who she wanted to be. In the dream sequence, she is a talented actress and Camilla is a weak woman who needs her love. But she can't escape the truth - she has to wake up to her reality nightmare. When she realizes that her life is meaningless, she commits suicide. Here is my interpretation on the characters in the movie: Betty - Betty is Diane. The name was chosen by switching it with the name of the waitress at Winkie's. In real life, the name of the waitress was Betty. In the dream is Diane. Rita - Rita is Camille. She choses the name Rita because of similarities with that character (she plays the femme fatale, typical to any film noir). The director - his role in the dream is only to get humiliated, because in real life, Camilla cheats Diane with him. His wife really exists and cheated on him with the pool boy. He got divorced and he's marrying Camilla now. The Mob guy - In real life, Diane is drinking an espresso before seeing this guy at the party. After she looks at him, Camilla makes the announcement. In the dream sequence, the way she saw him and her frustration generate the espresso episode. The idea is to humiliate the Director. Bob Parker - In real life he directed the movie where Camilla got the role. Diane's audition was bad, she didn't get the role. In the dream, she has the prefect audition. However, when she goes on the movie set, the Director is making this movie, not Bob Parker. She looks at him, trying to understand why he is there, when this is her dream. The Blonde actress - the name of the picture is Camilla's name. The catch phrase is 'She is the girl', same words Diane says to the killer when giving him Camilla's picture. The Blonde is another object of her jealosy. She sees the Blonde kissing Camilla, at the party. There could be many interpretations on why she wants that girl to get the job in the dream sequence. My guess is that she wants to force the reality on the Director - Camilla will get killed even if he likes it or not. The Hitman - in real life, he killed Camilla. In the dream sequence, part of Diane wants him to miss, so she makes him look like a dumb criminal. The guy with the nightmare - the recurring nightmare is in Diane's mind. She did see that guy when she was paying for the murder, so her obsessions translate in that guy's nightmares. The Aunt - she is dead in real life. That's where Diane's got the money for the murder. Coco - she is the Director's mother in real life. She plays same strong woman in the dream sequence. The dead body - in the dream sequence, that is Camilla's body. Diane doesn't know where or when will happen, so in the dream, she just puts the body in her place. The body also assumes Diane's sleeping position. The Cowboy - one character she sees at the party. She watches him passing by and then quickly disappearing in some other room. In the dream, he's very powerful. He humiliates the Director. Also, he does show up two more times, which is Lynch's way of saying Diane did wrong. The Old Couple - first shot of the movie shows them on-stage with Diane. My assumption is that they are her parents. They haunt her dreams because she feels she disappointed them. She failed to be what she wanted, so she has no future. The bum - probably not real. It only signifies Diane's evil side. In the dream, the bum is associated with Winkie's, the place where the deal is signed. He also haunts the guy with the nightmares, which we know is actually a reflection of Diane's. The blue box - multiple interpretations. Could be a Pandora box - remember the killer laughs when asked what would the blue key open. Could also be Diane's life - when the box is open, it is empty, which means she has no future. Club Silencio - not real. Diane has to stop pretending - she can't escape her real life not even in her own dream. She has to wake up and live her nightmare. The process is irreversible. Those are my two cents. I thought the movie was brilliant. Too bad the audience isn't ready to think. Too many mainstream movies?