David Lynch's Mulholland Drive

Rating: 9/10 (10 September 2010)

Let me go ahead and say that I am a David Lynch fan. I've seen many of his movies. That being said, I was very impressed with Mulholland Drive, but I don't think its quite his best film. It is well-made, but I believe The Straight Story and Blue Velvet are his best movies. Both of these movies lack the depth and complexity of Mulholland Drive, but I think I prefer the director's straightforward style of film-making over his fragmented style. All the same Mulholland Drive is one of his better movies, if not his third best after Blue Velvet and the Straight Story.
Mulholland Drive is a strange film. The whole movie is very dream-like and surreal, qualities that enhance the film very much. It also has exceptional acting, and very good directing. Just the fact that David Lynch could pull off such complicated storytelling proves his talent as a film maker. The story and plot of Mulholland Dr. are actually very simple on the surface, but it is told in such a way as to make the viewer think.
Mulholland Drive takes place in Los Angelos and there are many characters in the film, but it focuses mainly on three characters: a young aspiring actress named Betty, and brunette named Rita, and a director named Adam who is trying to make a movie. The three of these characters' stories are told separately, but their lives eventually come together.
The main conflict in the movie is between Rita and Camila. Rita meets Camila in an apartment. Rita has just been in a car accident and cannot remember who she is or what she is doing. Rita and Camila soon become friends. Camila feels like she should help Rita. She talks to her and tries to sort things out. But Rita is very confused, much like the audience. Camila wants to star in Adam's movie, but Adam does not approve of her.
The relationship between Camila and Rita is very intriguing. It is what helps keep the movie going. The movie takes a while to get into, because it starts off rather slow-paced, dark, and convoluted. Some people won't like this. They would prefer a movie more lively and easy to follow. Although this film mostly comes together by the end, it still leaves a lot of unanswered questions. This is the neat thing about the movie though; it gets you thinking. I analyzed the movie and tried to sort it out in my head for about a week after I saw it.
Some people may ask, "Should you really have to do all that for a movie? Shouldn't it just be about relaxing?" And yes, this point does have merit. There is a fine line between difficult to follow and baffling. But movies like this provide people with a lot of fun to come up with different theories of what really happened.
Mulholland Drive has many strengths. It has excellent cinematography, talented storytelling, good acting, and has a very good soundtrack. Mulholland Drive's strengths far outweighed its weaknesses, but all the same the movie did have its flaws. For one, it left a lot to speculation but didn't leave much to the imagination. This movie has graphic sexual content that may ruin the movie for some people. It didn't bother that much but the movie still could have had a little more subtlety. My one true gripe with the movie was that it was a little too grim. The amusement in this movie is slim to none. Blue Velvet is for the most part a pretty serious movie but it still includes comic relief. Mulholland Drive could have used a few light-hearted scenes, just to help loosen up some of the tension in the movie.
I understand that the dark atmosphere was supposed to help tell the story. The ominous nature of Mulholland Dr. was appropriate for the story, but at times it was a little overwhelming. The movie comes across as a just a bit too stark because of this. The movie was also a bit confusing towards the end- it could have used more editing, and could have had more focus on the protagonist. As cool as the switching from one story to the next was, we never really got to know our protagonist, played by Naomi Watts, very well. In fact, probably only half the movie included her. Mulholland Drive is a movie that most people probably wouldn't fully understand the first time around. Upon its first viewing there are a few evident flaws in it, but I think its one of those movies that would be much better the second time. The first time you;re so busy trying to figure out what the heck is going on that its hard to really enjoy it. Overall, I would recommend Mulholland Drive to anyone who likes David Lynch. Fans of the directer, and fans of artistic films will probably like this movie. As for everyone else, this movie is not a crowd-pleaser. Its not the most enjoyable movie either. The style of the movie resembles that of a nightmare and it is rather depressing. Although it does leave you feeling enlightened, it may also leave you feeling a little gloomy. But it is an original and imaginative film. And it has transfixing visuals, skillful directing, and strong performances.