The irony of Diane's illusion.

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2003)

The biggest clue to Mulholland Dr. comes from the most disturbing scene.It's difficult to select a most disturbing scene from this movie but the one that consistently made me feel uncomfortable was the masturbation scene. Diane desperately tries to continue the fantasy as indicated by the blurred image but unpleasant reality continues to invade. This is how I think of the initial portion of the movie. It is Diane's attempt to create an ideal fantasy to replace the awful reality we see later. As in the masturbation scene, however, reality refuses to remain submerged. Hints and echoes of the real world intrude. Finally the truth is revealed in allegory. There is no band; it's all a recording. Memorex, not live. So open the box and release reality. Diane's ideal world is ironic because the visions we see reflect her impressions of how things work. The meeting room with the espresso man, the sullen old man who controls from his isolation room, the stern cowboy, even the two unseen men from the bank all reflect a young girl's perspective.