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Having always been a Lynch fan and suffered/enjoyed all 29 episodes of Twin Peaks I was expecting something a little weird and reasonably incomprehensible; Mulholland Dr. however is not only massively complex and random but also completely coherent at the same time. This paradox means critics can no longer (wrongly) accuse Lynch of just creating a loose bag of scenes with no real narrative and calling it a film.
Managing to demonstrate the full shallow horror of Hollywood and mental disorder that can arise because of it, in a whole other clarity, Mulholland Dr. is filmed (by top cinematographer Peter Deming) in a lush, sharp, typical Lynch style; taking the best elements of a TV movie interwoven with ultra surreal quickly cut sequences. All the trademark elements are here: Small town American naivety, seedy - other world locations and a disorientating narrative.
The first 2 hours are smooth and superficially straightforward, leaving you wondering how this film will be wrapped up in the remaining hour. The fact that Mulholland Dr. started life as a TV pilot will not surprise you (much of this original footage remains). In theory this should detract from the structure and story - make Mulholland Dr. a bodge job budget saver. It doesn't. Lynch has ruthlessly shown in nigh on 3 hours why the ABC TV execs should never have canned the show.
Music makes up large part of the films impact, from the kitsch jitterbug titles onwards. Angelo Badalamenti's score complements the visuals perfectly. Dark soundscapes of melancholy synth chords move with the story as one - the juxtaposition of a dark tinitus like industrial hum with aerial footage of the Hollywood Sign is one unlikely combination that pays off.
Dissecting the narrative here will ruin the film I'm afraid (if you need that then check out the analysis link in universal sources) so all I'll say is that if you like sleazy Hollywood and David Lynch then you'll be made up and if you don't your missing out.
However, the basis of the plot is: Betty (Naomi Watts) arrives in Hollywood from Deep River, Ontario to find Rita (Laura Harring) taking in shower in her Aunt's flat. From this informal meeting Betty befriends Rita, who has lost her memory in a car crash (the reason why she is squatting in Betty's Aunt's flat). Betty takes it on herself to help Rita find out who she is in between taking auditions for film roles. Elsewhere Director Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) is having his leading lady decided for him by faddy mobsters (Angelo Badalamenti) and a mysterious philosophical 30's Cowboy (Layfayette Montgomery), meanwhile his wife is being serviced by the pool cleaner (Billy Ray Cyrus).
The actors involved are mostly unknowns or sliding towards B-list. One of the leads, Laura Harring (Rita) used to be in of all things Sunset Beach (Ultra bad Channel 5 soap), but there lies Lynch's genius, mixing TV gloss with deep psycho trauma and still making sense. Naomi Watts (Betty) is sure not to be an unknown for much longer, giving one of the most controlled and varied representation of one character I've seen.
The grey area of fantasy and reality (Hollywood's stock and trade) is what Mulholland Dr. is all about, how great dreams are as dangerous as a stoic 'accept your lot' attitude. Though this has been represented by Hollywood countless times you'd be hard pushed to find a better version than this.