A unique masterpiece, but it requires commitment to fully unfold

Rating: 10/10 (22 July 2009)

Per aspera ad astra - that's especially true for "Mulholland Drive", David Lynch's ingenious masterpiece, which is admittedly quite confusing and overwhelming at first, incomprehensible even. While the requirement of a thorough, analytical way of watching the movie (several times even, at least in my case) and the necessity of a great deal of attention to grasp its full scope and magic provides the singularity of the movie, it is coincidently the reason for any sceptical or even negative review "Mulholland Drive" may have received.
David Lynch yet again succeeds admirably in creating a dense and enthralling atmosphere, nightmarish, captivating, beautiful. The developments around the relationship of a mysterious beauty, distraught and amnesic after she barely survived a nocturnal car crash, and a young and naive prospective starlet, enthusiastic about the ostensible glamour of Hollywood are promiscuously interwoven with a number of additional story lines such as a stubborn director getting into a major conspiracy by powerful figures of the motion picture industry or the troubles of a somewhat clumsy hit man. There's a strong touch of film noir with dark rooms, mist, the tough guy, the jealous husband and the femme fatale, there are brilliantly staged bizarre characters and partially hilarious situations, all leading to a major twist, fundamentally messing with the heads of the audience...
The acting is exquisite and especially lead-actress Naomi Watts provides a stunning performance. Angelo Badalamenti's mystic and mesmerizing score creates the perfect ambiance. And most importantly: contrary to the first impression (and the final judgement of far too many fans of "Triple X" and the like) IT ALL MAKES PERFECT SENSE, while still leaving room for individual interpretation here and there.
What I love most about "Mulholland Drive" and the reason why I admire this movie more than any other (even legendary epics like "The Godfather") is the fact, that beyond its marvelously elaborate construction and the artfully utilized symbols and signs, it is still incredibly entertaining and a unique and rewarding experience even for a viewer lacking the most basic understanding of the afore-mentioned coherence. "Mulholland Drive" is not only a great movie, it is perfect in every way and that is too rare a thing to be missed by ANYONE...