Mulholland Drive

As my first David Lynch film I wasn't completely sure what to expect, other than his films are pretty mental (or 'surreal' I should say). The first half mostly makes structural sense and the story unwinds chronologically, but by the time we near the end all the symbolism, surrealism and sometimes creepy elements come pouring out. On the face of it Mulholland Drive is about a woman in a car crash who is left amnesic. With the help of budding actress Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) this mysterious woman (Laura Harring) slowly investigates her past. Apart from that the film could be about a whole plethora of things. One of the most striking themes is the identity crisis of the main two women, (heavily influenced by Ingmar Bergman's Persona which I coincidentally saw recently too! There's even the same face merging scene) triggered by the memory loss but spiralling out of control into some surreal dream like confusion by the end.

It could take multiple viewings and an essay (of which many can be found with a simple google) to even begin to speculate some of the meanings. For instance who is the surprisingly scary man behind the wall meant to be or represent? What's with the blue box? Or the miming stage show? There are certainly some really intriguing, iconic scenes that will stay with me for some time. Maybe one day I'll revisit Mulholland Drive, but at the moment it seems too much of an effort to start dissecting it, or I'd certainly have to watch more David Lynch films to get a better understanding.

Yes it's one of those artsy pretentious films, but it's obvious quite some thought went into it. It kept me somewhat mesmerised and very confused, especially by the time the credits rolled! [B]