A rare, hypnotic gem.

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2002)

For a while I was dumb-founded as to what to make of David Lynch and his unique body of work. I remember seeing Twin Peaks on TV when I was too young to make any sense of it, but the show left me both scared and intrigued for a long time. Some years later I saw Lost Highway, an alienating experience that showcased Lynch's technical mastery but at the same time made me question the extent of his brilliance. I wanted to be a David Lynch fan but could not find a suitable basis beyond the uniqueness of his work and his technical flare. This meant that Lynch was confined in my regard amongst directors like Fincher and Aronofsky who excel at what they do but lack the profundity found in films by great directors like Kubrick and Coppola.
Well, all that changed with one of the most intelligent and certainly the most mesmerising film I have ever seen - Mulholland Drive. This movie has so many great qualities that it is almost beyond description. To begin with, Lynch's technical brilliance oozes throughout the film. The trademark Lynch scene compositions, lighting and camera angles are at their best, allowing him, along with the outstanding soundtrack, to convey a rich texture of moods and emotions. Couple these with stellar performances from the two beautiful lead actresses and a story so layered and twisted that it could only have been a Lynch brainchild and you have a film of a high and rare order.
I encourage everyone to see and experience Mulholland Drive. It certainly hypnotised me far longer than its 2 1/2 hour running time and made me realise, once intuition had kicked in, the depth of Lynch's brilliance. No one else makes films that appeal to your intuition quite like David Lynch and it is this aspect of his film making that makes him a great director. See this movie, you'll know what I mean.