Los Angeles is where all of our dreams lie; Mulholland Dr. is where the dream ends

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2004)

In `Mulholland Drive,' director David Lynch weaves a story that ingeniously takes our minds on a fantastical roller coaster ride.
The movie opens with the arrival of an ingenue, an aspiring actress named Betty Elms (Naomi Watts), to Hollywood in pursuit of her dreams of becoming a movie star, or a great actress, as she tells us. To Betty, Los Angeles seems the city of Dreams, the city of Angels, a temple where the yearning to dream the impossible is consecrated, a sanctuary for all those who dare to dream. However, immersed in the fantastical sceneries, the somewhat obscure plotline, and the eerie, nerve-striking music, everything in `Mulholland Drive' wears a mysterious and ghastly veil as if foreshadowing the ultimate defeat of these effervescent yearnings.
As Betty soon involves herself in helping the vulnerable Rita (Laura Elena Harring), whom Betty finds in her apartment, to overcome Rita's amnesia, one senses the looming danger ahead. Then, the movie indeed takes a turn, but it arrives at a most unexpected place. It becomes haunting, ludicrous, and dream-like, enthralling us with its confusions, delirium, eeriness, and eroticism. Suddenly, what seemed once a passionate love becomes uncontrollable selfish desires, as mystery turns into an enigma and then transforms itself into a labyrinth. The audience begins to doubt the validity and authenticity of all of which we have seen. Seeking truth, we question what is reality, and what is made-believe illusion.
The performances given by the lead actresses, Watts and Harring, greatly augment the effectiveness of this intriguing tale of aspiration and defeat. Watts is a revelation in her dual role as Betty and Diane, offering a soul to each of the two counterparts, rendering a riveting breakthrough performance of her career. Unfortunately, her Oscar-caliber performance was overlooked by the Academy, but it'll be the performance that'll define her career in the years to come.
9/10