A Hazed Look at Hollywood

Rating: 8/10 (2 March 2018)

This review contains spoilers.
Mulholland Drive is directed by David Lynch and stars Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harding. It is the story of a woman named Betty as she helps an amnesiac woman reclaim her identity. In between this main arc are characters dealing with their own problems. After three-fourths of the movie, the plot focuses on a different set of main characters as the circumstances change.
Mulholland Drive blurs the line with what the audience expects out of a neo-noir movie. It becomes difficult to follow with images and arcs that appear impossible. One of these is the transition that no longer focuses on Betty and the amnesiac woman. They become different characters. The other supporting characters seemingly remain the same. Audiences have to pay attention in order to understand the story.
The overall style of the movie aimed at making the audience feel uncomfortable. The first three-fourths of the movie has Betty easily achieving her goals. In the last fourth of the movie, Naomi Watts' character suffers constantly .It is almost her personal hell she is living as she barely gets through the day. The sub plots of a hitman are humorous and seemingly do not make much sense until the end.
The directing of this movie is great. David Lynch's style is perfect for a movie such as this. There is much of this movie that is open to the viewer's interpretation. The acting is also top notch. Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harding are up to the standard of the directing. Even the supporting cast does a great job with their scenes.
Mulholland Drive is a difficult movie to enjoy. Its an incredibly niche movie that has almost no action scenes and derives its enjoyment from understanding of the plot. Attempting to understand the movie takes some effort.
I highly recommend Mulholland Drive.
Grade: A