Mulholland Dr. (netflix instant)
first, last and many thoughts in between while watching Mulholland Dr. :
i'm gonna start this off by saying this will probably be extremely long, extremely WRONG, and i don't think i could ever understand 1/4 of the things in this movie, or in any David Lynch film.
now, i was able to follow along the tricky path of LOST for six seasons, i was able to get my head around the dark and frightening work Lynch did in Eraserhead, i was able to somewhat follow the mayhem in Triangle, and i'm able to follow along with what happens in Donnie Darko. but none of them. NONE of them match the insanity that Mulholland Dr. gives you.
the "story" is quite simple - i think
- a young woman moves to Hollywood to begin an acting career and finds a woman in her aunt's apartment that is suffering amnesia. okay, simple enough right? nooooo.
there are i believe 3 different stories that get started within the first 40 minutes or so. there are a lot of odd characters we meet and i was instantly awaiting what connection these people all had to each other. and after the film ended, i was left with a few possible conclusions.
is there a definitive answer to what happens in Mulholland Dr.? i have no idea. i don't think Lynch's Eraserhead had a definitive answer behind the madness that happens there, so while i don't really expect any of my theories to get shot down quickly, it is possible, and i may again either be over thinking things or i'm just NSE again
no special order on which one i think most of, just how they came to me:
theory 1:
[Show spoiler]it's a film that focuses on accomplishing your dreams, and when something gets in the way, trying to work around that. i think Betty (or "Diane") is so hellbent on making it big that when Camilla gets the jobs she wants, she either wants to be her or get rid of her (in the last few scenes when she gives money to the shooter guy, i'm guessing this is to pay the limousine driver to shoot her? / get her out of the car so she never gets to the house so Adam never proposes to her?) but at the same time she is in love with her and wants her around. so when she first arrives in Hollywood and Camilla has amnesia, is that so she doesn't know she's an actress so Diane can get her jobs instead? 
theory 2:
[Show spoiler]personality disorder? she actually is Diane who seems to not be an actress and lives alone in an empty house and she has created all this in her head? and everyone else is a character of her imagination of what she wants. when "Betty" is at the audition she looks at Adam and Adam looks at her as if they are attracted to each other. and then she is in the restaurant with the shooter guy and pays to (maybe) have Camilla killed? so she can't be with Adam in the house at the end? so she (Diane) can be? so because of the personality disorder she creates and puts herself wherever she wants to be.
theory 3:
[Show spoiler]everything was real until Diane/Betty and Camilla have their "scene" (
) and then Camilla starts chanting (in Spanish?) and then the guy at the concert / show deal says, "it is all recorded" and "this is all an illusion" and then the singer comes out after he disappears and that blue light is there (WTF). and then at the end of the movie the lady in the audience says, "selencio" (spelling off i'm sure, but that's how it sounds) just like Camilla says. and the BLUE light is just like the BLUE box and the BLUE key that opens it (which is when the "WTF?!" moments really kicked in i believe) and now all of this is a constant repetitive state that all the audience members are now in. i'm not sure what it "shows" (fears? since then we see the dinner scene that Diane obviously is uncomfortable with) but now reality is lost for everyone in attendance?
i'm sure i have more theories, but it's late and i don't think i could fathom thinking about this anymore, even though i'm sure i will.
anyway, for those who haven't seen the film and obviously cannot read the spoilers, i'll say that if you want something that you really have to invest 100% into, want something that has extreme replay value, a refreshingly original, odd, and extremely off the wall story this is it. the structure of the film may piss some off as you'll soon find yourself asking, "well what the fudge was the point of that scene an hour ago!" and the film does raise a lot of questions... but if you like a pay off where (i believe anyway) the answers are open to interpretation, this is a film that must be seen. if you like everything all tied up with one solid answer, then avoid, because this will certainly upset you as it doesn't give you a "2+2 = 4" type solution to what Lynch presents.
Naomi Watts plays the dough-eyed young country gal who's all sorts of "oh gosh look at that big building!" about Hollywood (for the most part...
) and she plays it extremely well. and while i thought we were supposed to "follow" her through this bizarre, unraveling story (you still can), i connected more with Adam, the director who, simply put, asks, "what is going on?" in his first scene. in essence we (the audience) can follow both, but the film doesn't need someone for us to tag along with through this brain melting tale. taking the journey alone or with one of these characters isn't going to help the questions from piling up (love it!
).
i did make note though that at times the feel almost felt corny. some scenes were mixed with odd dialogue, quirky beyond belief characters and zany music. but it wasn't corny in the bad sense, it certainly seems Lynch knows exactly what he is doing because if he wants tension? then he has tension. if he wants really dark humor, then it's there (and is
), so i don't believe the film has moments of off the wall corniness by accident, it's very, very deliberate.
the directing, i think is genius?
i can't really say anything about it as i was sucked into the story too much to really pay attention to how the film was directed. and that's the beauty of Mulholland Dr. (at least for me): i had absolutely no idea WTF was going on. no idea what was coming next. after awhile had absolutely no brain activity because Lynch had blown it to pieces and it was pouring out my nostrils
but i loved every excellent second of it. i really wish this would come out on blu in the U.S. because i would pick this up asap and watch it repeatedly.
maybe with more time spent thinking about it i will understand it more
and Mulholland Dr. is the type of film that refuses to let your brain go once the credits roll. i'm sure i'll be up for hours tonight, trying to sleep, but unable to because of the film. i'll constantly be wondering what it all meant and if i will ever know. or ever be happy with what i think is right. that may sound bad, but it shouldn't, it's absolutely wonderful
too many films instantly leave your memory bank once the end comes, not this one. not even close.
5/5
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Marketing in 2010 seems like a piece of cake and people's opinions seem easily malleable with easy access to people's brains via TV, facebook, internet, etc. Just 25 years ago, the culture wasn't as easy to affect with the art it seems. But yeah, in general I'd agree that the culture is probably the independent variable, and the cinema/art is dependent, but I bet they're more interdependent than anything.
Keep 'em up bro! 
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