Shattered dreams & a broken heart

Rating: 9/10 (10 March 2006)

Mulholland Drive began life as a pilot for a TV series that was not picked up - David Lynch, genius that he is, simply took what was there, shot extra scenes & rearranged it all into what may well be his finest work yet.
It has all the best elements from his previous work - the slick, syrup-coated darkness of Blue Velvet & Wild At Heart, the experimentation with parallel/alternate narratives that he displayed with such brilliance in Lost Highway (and, it can be argued, in Fire Walk With Me), along with the true artist's appreciation for beauty in all aspects of the human condition.
The first half of the film seduces the viewer completely with the idyllic story of an innocent, talented young actress-to-be named Betty who befriends a beautiful amnesiac stranger, & while investigating the mystery of who she is, falls in love with her.
The second half is the sickening jolt back to reality, when it becomes apparent that what has come before is nothing more than the dream of a young actress who has not only failed in her dreams of stardom, but has had her heart utterly broken by her venomous lover who is not content to simply leave, but torture & humiliate her even further to the point of madness.
Sounds relatively straightforward, but this is a David Lynch film, & as such, takes a number of bizarre, yet rewarding, detours along the way to paint a picture of a town with sunshine & lollipops on top, & poison underneath. Almost everything can be explained in terms of dreams, unfulfilled desires & wish fulfillment - almost. There's a fair few loose ends that I suspect were part of the TV pilot & thrown in for good measure, but rather than feeling like loose ends, they just add to the overall mood of corruption & impending doom.
Naomi Watts conveys the innocent wonder of Betty perfectly, then handles the alternate role of the bitter, jilted lover with equal perfection. Laura Elena Harring supports her by bringing a dark, ethereal quality to her role, both as the amnesiac & as the sadistic ex-lover. Although there's always the usual sleazy mention of their "hot lesbian scene" together when anyone talks about this film, Lynch handles the scene with such care & tastefulness that it's far better described as a love scene than a sex scene.
The supporting cast is first rate, with Justin Theroux as a slimy director, composer Angelo Badalamenti making a truly bizarre appearance as a mob boss whose espresso must be perfect, & in one of the most unexpected cameos ever, Billy Ray Cyrus (yes, THAT guy) as a pool cleaner.
Words can't do justice to this film. It's seductive & beautiful, slick & cool, sexy & violent, but the lingering feeling one is left with after it's all over is that of a deep, haunting sadness for what might have been for the hopes & dreams of a young girl who was going to be a star.