Haunting, beautiful. I can't stop thinking about it.

Rating: 9/10 (6 November 2001)

First, let me say I've never seen a Lynch film, but was forewarned to the strangeness. Second, let me say I'm not an artsy movie snob, so I don't automatically like a movie I don't get.
That being said, Mulholland Drive has been stuck in my mind for three days, and the more I think about it, the more I love it. The more I think about it, the more I want to think about it. After the movie, I was in a non drug-induced daze for two hours. While trying to sleep, it kept me up until midnight, then 1AM on the next night (not too late, but these are weeknights).
So, what's it all about? Well, part of the fun is finding out yourself since some stuff is vague and subject to individual interpretation. I give my 2 cents below. But basically, we mainly follow two women in LA. One is a pretty, almost too bubbly blonde, looking to be an actress. The second is a mysterious brunette (Rita) with amnesia from a car accident. Beth helps Rita figure out her mystery while also starting her acting career. Then, something happens throws all of the above in the sh**can.
Yeah, doesn't sound like much, and I wish I could grab everyone serious about watching movies by the shoulders and tell them to watch this movie. There is a mystery behind it, a bizarre "normalcy" (the overabundant smiling), a mid movie twist, and one scene with a lone woman playing a Spanish version of Roy Orbison's "Crying" which is hauntingly beautiful and worth the price of the movie ticket alone. Like the movie, I can't get the song out of my mind.
I'll admit that many will not like this movie and even say that I cannot defend this movie. You either like it or don't understand how anyone can. I love it, and I'm not going to argue why. However, what I will say is that it's not as open-ended and unintelligible as it seems.
Remember that dreams need a different interpretation and that thoughts in reality can become distorted in dreams. Below are my thoughts on the movie which will surely be different a week from now.
It's not perfect, but it's close. If I could give a 9.9, I would, but IMDB-wise, it's a 9/10. Beautiful, haunting. I wish I could sit there and watch it again for the first time.
SPOILERS!!! PLEASE DO NOT READ ON UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN IT AT LEAST ONCE, PREFERABLY TWICE. Note: These aren't truths, but my opinions. *Plot: It's a flashback. Diane dreams herself to be Beth and Camilla to be Rita. Near the end is reality, though mixed with some dreams. *Diane: Central character. In reality, she came to LA with hopes of making it big. She falls in unrequitted love with Camilla. Her dreams fall apart and she dreams the first part of the movie. *Beth: What Diane wanted to be, a sweet girl who could turn on the sexuality when needed (ie. her and the old guy. Damn erotic scene!) *Camilla: Glamorous superstar who used her charms with the director to win her part. She might have also used her charms on Diane. *Rita: What Diane wished Camilla was. Rita was lost, scared, dependent on Beth. Beth was confident, helpful. *The Camilla Conspiracy: Diane needed a reason as to why Camilla was chosen over her. In her dream, it was a secret conspiracy. She even showed Adam's interest in her, but that he could do nothing. *the cowboy: In reality, just a character caught in a glance. He's nothing. However, in a dream, things get changed around. He becomes a major player in why Camilla was picked. *Beth and Rita romantically: Diane was rejected by Camilla. In her dream, Beth told Rita she was in love with her and Rita reciprocated (and how!). It was how Beth wanted it to be. *Llorando (the song) and Silencio: ??? Perhaps a signification of the dream about to end (sometimes when I'm about to wake, my dream changes). The play kept going back to things being an illusion, like the dream. Llorando was Beth's realization of her sadness, played in Spanish because Camilla was (I think) *The box: portal to reality. *The clumsy killer: in reality, he kills Camilla. She has him in mind, but in her dream, portrays him as a bungling idiot. *Coco: In reality, a cold woman who couldn't care less about Beth. In the dream, a caring motherlike figure. *The scary face dude: ?? *The dead girl in the room: ?? *Why Rita wanted to change her hair: ?? *Billy Ray Cyrus: Absolutely no clue. Again, look at the dream as the way Beth wants it to be, remembering that dreams are distorted visuals of the sub-conscious mind. Things need to be interpreted. *The little people:
Lastly, I may be totally wrong in all of this and welcome others' opinions.

-Mark