In The Eye of the Beholder

Rating: 9/10 (1 April 2005)

I came to MULHOLLAND DRIVE with extreme reluctance. Although I've seen most of Lynch's work, it has been more by accident than by design, and I had no expectation of great interest in the film. For Lynch is an extremely divisive director: you either like his work or you do not, and by and large I fall into the latter category. So I sympathize with those who loathe everything about the film--but at the same time I am surprised by how much I myself admired it.
Opening with an attempted murder thwarted by an unexpected car-crash, the film presents us with a beautiful woman (Laura Harring) who stumbles into Los Angeles in shock and suffering from amnesia. Using the name "Rita," she crosses paths with pert and pretty Betty Elms (Naomi Watts), new to the city and in search of a film career. Betty quickly decides to shelter Rita, and the two women begin to search for Rita's true identity.
A number of subplots, seemingly random incidents, and bizarre events complicate the basic premise; even so, I think most viewers will be able to buy into the film and find themselves extremely curious about the film's approaching conclusion. But therein lies the rub, for it is exactly at this point that the film suddenly deconstructs and forces you to completely reevaluate everything you've previously seen.
A number of recent films, including the extremely popular SIXTH SENSE and THE OTHERS, have used a similar device, a sudden twist that spins your basic perception of the overall story. In both cases, however, these were logical extensions of the basic plot; the device in MULHOLLAND DRIVE, however, is not, and it does not so much spin perception as it completely overturns and then completely reinterprets the entire film up to that point. And there are only two possible reactions: jaw-dropping astonishment or a savage disgust with the whole thing.
There have been endless interpretations and analyses of this film, and many people complain that they don't understand it. I may be running against the tide here, but I have to say that you shouldn't try to "understand" MULHOLLAND DRIVE; instead, accept it as a journey into an extremely disturbed mind as it plays games with itself. For with this film, Lynch essentially takes us inside madness itself, an insanity that dreams Hollywood dreams grown into monsters of the subconscious.
Yes, I do think there is much to admire here in spite of several very obvious flaws--not the least of which is a distinct difference in tone as the film shifts between portions originally planned for television and portions filmed when Lynch realized he could salvage the project as a feature film. But at the same time, admiring is not necessarily liking: MULHOLLAND DRIVE is a very dark place, and for myself one visit was enough.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer