BOTTOM
LINE:
Riveting
and baffling all at the same time, as only David Lynch can be, “Mulholland
Drive” is a surreal thrill ride that will grip you from start
to finish, and leave you with more questions than answers.
THE
GOOD: A
simple synopsis of this film would be pointless. It starts as a
film about wannabe starlet Betty (Watts) who comes to Los Angeles
looking to be an actress, and maybe a star. A mystery ensues when
a mysterious woman named Rita (Harring) shows up in her Aunt’s
house who has been in a car accident. That is a starting point to
try and describe the story, but the rest of the film is a surreal,
thrilling dream of disconnected sequences, characters and images
that are totally engaging yet completely baffling, all at the same
time. The film is best described as a series of dreams, most likely
of Naomi Watts’ various characters. As in dreams, there are
some connections between certain events, but the meaning behind
them is a mystery, something which director David Lynch is famous
for; he is hell bent on leaving any interpretation up to you. Each
sequence of the film is elegantly shot and edited, with a disturbing
musical score and haunting performances. Sequences vary from thrilling,
to scary, to disturbing, to horrific, and some times even comedic,
and not in any particular order. Naomi Watts is excellent as the
central character in the film and is the rock upon which the narrative
is based. Laura Elena Harring delivers a haunting and elegant performance
as car accident victim Rita. And then there are other characters
that pop in and out of the narrative, seemingly at random but somehow
tie in to the plot at some level. Without a doubt, the ‘cowboy’
character is the most intriguing, particularly when he meets with
director Adam Kesher (Theroux) in one of the most surreal scenes
in the film. “Mulholland Drive” is an experience, full
of emotion, thrills and questions.
