Why can't more films be like this?

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2011)

Just simply amazing and addictive storytelling along with an extraordinary performance from Naomi Watts. David Lynch has crafted a truly magnificent film set in Hollywood, The City of Angels. A place where stars are made... but some fade. Some become destined for eternal success years after they pass on, but some disappear with the click of a finger with nothing but darkness. Think Elizabeth Short aka "The Black Dahlia" or Peg Entwistle.
That's the haunting thing about Hollywood. It's the most alluring city in the world for its deep roots in the entertainment industry but its bright lights and famous stars also lies in darkness. Deep down, Hollywood, Los Angeles is devilish, disturbing... bleak.
Billy Wilder showed us the ugly side of Hollywood in his 1950 film noir classic Sunset Boulevard and 51 years later David Lynch continues this tradition with his neo noir psychological thriller Mulholland Drive. Obviously that is a small portion of analysis and there is deeper symbolism but the dark side of Hollywood stuck with me the most.
Shot against the dark backdrop of Los Angeles, we follow many different characters: "Betty Elms" (played by Naomi Watts), an aspiring actress from Canada in search for the Hollywood dream, a mysterious femme fatale who calls herself "Rita" (Laura Harring) in search of her identity and befriends Betty and "Adam Kesher" (Justin Theroux), a confident yet arrogant film director striving to maintain complete artistic control over his latest movie... but the last part of the film rips through conventional film noir storytelling and gives us a whole new batch of characters. Here we have "Diane Selwyn" (Naomi Watts), an unsuccessful and psychologically troubled actress "Camilla Rhodes" (Laura Harring), a successful and talented actress who just finished working with director Adam Kesher. Skipping between the past and present, we are shown a non- linear view of Diane's emotional and psychological breakdown. It may be sad, scary and tough to watch but Lynch just keeps our eyes stuck to the screen because of Naomi Watts brilliance.
A film noir, psychological thriller, dark comedy, horror, drama, romance; MD is a wide mix of genres. You can't really place it in one genre. Or time frame. In fact, time is stuck in this film, we never really know when this film takes place. Lynch gives us a timeless feel due to his references to previous decades and films. One minute we see the iconic poster of Gilda (1940's film) then we see the more contemporary looking director Adam Kesher driving a fancy Porsche car. Rita is a classic femme fatale (a common female character in 40's/50's film noir). So mesmerising.
Despite the amazing performances from Watts, Harring and Theroux, the incredible cinematography and the hauntingly beautiful score from Angelo Badalamenti; the star of the show is David Lynch: The heart and soul of Mulholland Drive. His driving force and determination to create one of the greatest films ever made is outstanding. Only a few have perfectly recreated a disturbing Los Angeles on film, crafted an intricate and complex story, pushed Naomi Watts to the limit to show us just how talented she is or gave us a visually stunning treat full of unpredictable moments.
A very rare treat, Lynch has given us a film that will scare you, shock you, move you and most importantly: inspire you. From his dream logic, surrealism, to the dark look at Hollywood, to his psychological, philosophical and metaphysical ideas and probably most importantly to film buffs, his unique directing style, Lynch is an inspiration and a sensation. Following Kubrick's road with rich symbolism, fantastic lighting and cinematography, very memorable characters, Mulholland Drive will change the way you look at films. Forever.