some thoughts on mulholland drive

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2006)

Firstly, what is the film about? About several things, probably. What strikes me most forcibly, is the descent into madness. A madness not caused by any particular medical condition, but madness brought on by constant failure in life. This failure is due to the fact that the initial optimism and projects were unrealistic. Secondly, there is love  destructive, obsessive, misdirected love. There is nothing wrong with being gay or lesbian, but Diane, again, got it all wrong. Maybe Camilla was partly to blame, but it was down to Diane to deal with her feelings in a less destructive way.
Secondly, why did Lynch film it in this way? Not to confuse the audience, Madness is never straightforward. To show Diane's irrationality, her jealousy and the awful downward spiral she locks into, we need to live her last few months with her. Then by feeling disoriented ourselves, we can, on reflection, appreciate her own feelings of incomprehension. The whole of the film, I believe, takes place at the very moment she pulls the trigger. In that split-second, she sees her whole messy life flashing before her.
Thirdly, what is the significance of "Silencio" as we see and hear it at the very end of the film? This is an easy one, and I am surprised that absolutely no-one seems to have picked this up! Go away and read Shakespeare's "HAMLET"! Both Shakespeare and Lynch are dealing with the descent into madness, primarily triggered by love which goes awry, and the duplicity (and the greedy hunger for power) shown by both men and women in certain circumstances. At the end of the play, when Hamlet dies, his last words are "AND THE REST IS SILENCE".