Incomprehensible elegance

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2004)

Mulholland Dr. must be located somewhere on the 'lost highway' in the wide area of 'Twin Peaks'in other words; it's a pure David Lynch product and a film that will unquestionably divide audiences. Every time this genius (to some, at least) delivers a film, it immediately grows out the biggest cinematic event of the year and a topic of endless discussions. Seeing the rating on this site, it looks like many people consider this Lynch's best achievement in the weirdness field (The Elephant Man and The Straight Story not included), yet I don't agree with that. No doubt it's a mesmerizing film that haunts and moves you long after you finished watching it, though. On the surface, this is a tale handling about the stereotypical life in Hollywood. You've got the young and easily impressed actress who's hoping to build up a career (Noami Watts) and there also is a second storyline handling about a director (Justin Theroux) influenced and threatened by the mob in his casting choices. So basically, this is film-noir type of story but it's crystal clear that Lynch doesn't care much for the typical genre intrigues and focuses more on what's lying underneathlike the whole spectrum of human emotions. Oh heck, I can't explain it and neither can anyone else. But it works! Throughout the whole film, you're hypnotized by the elegance and mystery Mulholland Dr. radiates. The bizarre and eccentric characters fascinate you and the slow-paced camera-work creates an unmatched tension that'll make you jump more than once.
And yet, something is lacking here. Although Lynch can't be blamed for it, as he intended this a pilot film for a new TV-series in Twin Peaks style. *** HUGE SPOILER *** after an hour and a half of careful observing and hunting for clues, the story falls into identities switching. This sort of leaves you behind with the unsatisfied feeling of déjà-vu as you recognize it from Lynch previous classic 'Lost Highway'. *** END SPOILER***. After ABC declined turning this into a TV-series it feels like Lynch rushed with adding twists and turns with a disappointing climax as a result. Despite these flaws, Mulholland Dr. still ranks as one of the greatest films since the new millennium with its unique eeriness and excellent cast. Naomi Watts is terrific as the tender and fragile young actress and Laura Harring is downright breathtaking. There's a near-perfect chemistry between the two leading ladies resulting in the most sensual erotic sequences of the last few decades. There also are minuscule supportive roles for class actors like Dan Hedaya and Robert Forster.