Contains mild mental anguish.

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2006)

Well well well. David Lynch's Mulholland Drive does, at first, appear all over the place.
It appears relatively slow moving for the first quarter. It seems to be a mix of disconnected, poorly acted, irrelevant scenes (what *was* the psychiatrist in the diner scene about?) but unfortunately, it is far from that. From the outset Lynch riddles Mulholland Drive with clues as to what is really going on...it is just up to the viewer to play close attention.
Suddenly things pick up. People get shot, there are laughs, there's a ridiculously over-the-top Mafia subplot, and there are lesbians. And then it all goes to Hell with Club Silencio. Just as you think you're starting to pick it up, Betty has a fit, and Lynch pulls his audience through a mentally devastating final quarter, complete with a maze of skipping timeframes, symbolism, and crazy old people.
The end kills you. "Silencio". You know it's going to end like that (probably the only thing you can actually call before it happens) and then you sit there and try to wrap your head around it. Lynch leaves clues, literally (in the box), and metaphorically (in the film), and even with these, it's impossible to completely understand absolutely everything. I looked it up; there are loads of internet sites explaining what you've just witnessed (but none of them cover that blue box...) and you feel better for understanding it (although part of you wishes you got it yourself), and I think only then can you really appreciate it. Watching it without understanding it or trying to understand it results in dismissives ("what?" "it's crap" and so on) but enjoying Mulholland Drive comes through understanding, be it self-deduced or taught.
Unfortunately the complicated thematic workings somewhat overshadow what is a quite special performance from Naomi Watts, playing the roles of amateur small-town wannabe actress and jealous lover brilliantly, a performance complimented by the timid temptress of Laura Harring and Justin Theroux's arrogant yet cool director (jewellry in paint? awesome).
It's difficult to keep up and notice anything else.
If you put in the time to understand it, or at least find out about it, you'll enjoy it. If you don't, you won't. It's as simple as that.