Directed by David Lynch.
2001. Rated R, 147 minutes.
Cast:
Naomi Watts
Laura Harring
Justin Theroux
Dan Hedaya
Brent Briscoe
Robert Forster
Katharine Towne
Billy Ray Cyrus
Chad Everett
After a horrendous car accident, a young woman suffers from amnesia. She stumbles into a nearby apartment and forms a friendship with Betty, the actual occupant's niece. Together, they try to figure out who she is.
It's a movie with so many metaphors and symbols it's near impossible to figure them all out, especially when some of them seem to change in meaning. The film-making technique is masterful and helps pull you along for a strange ride. However, the writing of this tale, also handled by director David Lynch, is cryptic at best. The dialogue purposely vacillates between pretty good and pretty awful. After it finishes winding itself into a knot, we find it's essentially plotless. To top it all off, it ends in a baffling manner, complete with an homage to Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, no less.
When the credits started rolling, my general feeling can be summed up by the question "What the hell did I just watch?" However, I was prepared for this by the warnings that many fans of the movie and its director gave me. So I said to myself "I'll bite." I waited a day or two and sat through it again. Some things became clearer upon second viewing. In particular, the ending became transparent. This time, when the credits rolled, so did my eyes.
Lynch fans and their warnings came to mind again: "You might not get it the first few times you watch." That's troublesome for me. It's like foods that people say are "an acquired taste." When someone says that, I hear "it doesn't really taste that good but since we're convinced it's a delicacy I just kept eating it until I convinced myself I like it." Maybe by my fifth or sixth viewing I'll swear by this movie like lots of other folks. However, I must apologize to all David Lynch fans out there. The fact is, I just don't want to keep watching it until I like it. And I'm not going to be one of those people who says it's great just because everyone else does.
MY SCORE: 5.5/10
It's a bit weird that way, but I think part of why I love Mulholland Dr. so much is the fact that it is so strange and subjective. Fun fact: this film actually originated as a pilot to a TV series, which I think was originally conceived as a spin-off to Twin Peaks that never got off the ground due to the show's cancellation. Lynch later re-worked it into a pilot for an unrelated show and when the producers didn't pick it up he reworked it into a movie. I think the show would have been based on a setup where there would be a mystery that would keep leading into other mysteries so that every question would raise a thousand more.
ReplyDeleteStill, I see what you mean. I kinda had the same problem with Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris. So many people claim it was better than the Clooney version but I coudn't get much further than the first hour (and that was on the SECOND attempt) because the it was so painfully slow. I know a guy who keeps telling me that it all makes sense if you just watch it to the end but as you can imagine I'm a bit reluctant to sit through an excruciatingly slow movie that also happens to be three hours long just in case there is something worthwhile at the end (and considering how I felt about most of what I saw in the film, the ending would probably disappoint me anyway).
I did know about the fun fact. Your thoughts on what direction this may have gone had it actually become a TV show makes sense. However, for me, it just didn't translate well into a single movie. Lots of good ideas that don't quite congeal properly. I understand all the admiration it gets. It's just not for me.
DeleteI think your problem is that you didn't get it. i know it's a pretty terrible thing to say to a person, but it's true. It's my second fav movie of all time, maybe this will help - http://cinematiccorner.blogspot.com/2011/10/mulholland-dr.html I wrote it after seeing it once and reading a lot about it.
ReplyDeleteI freely admit that I didn't get it. That's kinda my point. I prefer to go into a film as cold as possible. Therefore, to me, a movie is a self contained entity. I shouldn't have to read books, comics, websites, or be part of some exclusive club to enjoy it. And if I don't get something upon my first viewing that's okay, so long as it was enjoyable enough to warrant subsequent viewings which might enhance my understanding. This movie didn't do that for me. I will check out your link, though. Who knows? Maybe in a year or so I'll revisit it and have a different opinion.
DeleteYou should not be required to for example read the book to get the adaptation. But Mulholland Drive is not this case. It's a puzzle, all you have to do is put it together. All the other reading you should do is simply of people who managed to do that. It's not a film's fault that you didn't understand it. I'm glad that there are movies like this one or for example Enemy where writers refuse to dumb it down for the audience.
DeleteHonestly, I'm glad there are movies like this as well. I appplaud Lynch for sticking with his vision and creating the film he wanted to. We need artists like him to challenge us. That said, I don't have to love the results. Besides, this is hardly the first complicated movie I've ever watched. Some of them worked foe me, some didn't. This one didn't. Like I said, though, I'm not shutting the door on ever watching it again. As of right now, it's not one of my favorites.
DeleteGood post! I really liked this movie, but I had to ponder it for a while and read some interpretations before it made sense. I know what you mean about being left with that "what the hell did I just watch?" feeling. Several movies have affected me that way.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I watched it, pondered it, watched it again, pondered it some more, and it didn't click to me. Maybe next time.
DeleteI still don't understand what this movie is about. I watched it twice and still didn't get it. I'm not a Lynch fan either, so perhaps I'm not the target audience. There was one funny scene in that movie. I remember a woman got shot through the wall and thought something "bit me real bad!" That was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI figured someone else out there had to have a similar experience to mine with this movie. Thanks for confirming that.
DeleteMulholland Drive is my favorite David Lynch film, except for maybe the Twin Peaks pilot. However, I admit that I'm not sure that I really "got it". I can make certain interpretations, and there's plenty to read about it. What really grabs me is the way that Lynch creates a certain tone (from absurdity, to horror, happiness, etc.) and evokes such a strong reaction from me.
ReplyDeleteI say this to try and explain that I don't have an issue with you saying that you didn't enjoy it. To each their own, you know. You definitely gave it a shot. It's part of what makes it great for me. Regardless of where everyone falls, it's a stunning piece of art that generates a reaction, even if it's confusion. Also, I think that I've only see it twice, so it's hardly a case where I watched it a bunch of times before I liked it.
Thank you, Dan. "To each their own" is definitely my feeling on this, and all movies, for that matter. Though it's not my cup of tea, I've no problem with all those who deem this to be a masterpiece.
Delete