Mulholland Drive (2001) Dir: David Lynch
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David Lynch's 2001 surrealist mystery drama is often ranked among the greatest films of the 21st Century. The film, like its writer and director, has a reputation for its odd and evasive nature, something I was very keen to explore. Prior to watching this, I'd never seen a Lynch film in full, but I was more than aware for his filmmaking style.
I knew to expect some strange and surreal visuals, as well as some unique and memorable editing - I was certainly not left disappointed. I loved the range of lighting, set design and costume design throughout the film. So much of it fed into the dreamy, 'uncanny valley' aesthetic of the film. As such, the film takes on a bizarre, yet utterly fascinating, appearance.
The film evoked a keen level of suspense, born from a mysterious and cunning story, and backed up by an alluring noir-esque soundtrack. It reminded me of a Hitchcock film, in terms of its presentation. I found myself reminded of other mysteries like 'Vertigo', which I mean, of course, as a compliment.
The story has a lot to say, in a very elusive and teasing way. It critiques the so-called 'American Dream', it addresses escapism through dreams, it even depicts bisexuality in film, which was a real surprise, albeit a pleasant one. I found it fascinating, and spent a lot of time post-viewing mulling over what I'd just seen.
I thoroughly enjoyed the acting of Naomi Watts here. She showed the divergent nature of her character's mind so well - she approached each side of her role with nuance. Her commitment to the more unhinged side of her character has a lot to do with why the story works as well as it does.
Laura Harring was the perfect illustration for the mysterious nature of the film. Her performance combined elegance and vulnerability to great effect. She was transfixing in nature, thanks to some stellar facial expressions, especially in the final third of the film. She gave my favourite performance of anyone in the film.
Justin Theroux's performance was really quite entertaining, and off-set those of the two leading women quite nicely. I liked the sprinklings of comedy he mixed into his performance, although his more serious acting was just as good. This really was a very good performance from Theroux.
The supporting cast did not really feature a whole lot, but there were a number of performers who left a pretty positive impression on me, specifically the likes of Ann Miller, Dan Hedaya, Mark Pellegrino, Robert Forster and Angelo Badalamenti.
Overall, there is no denying that I found myself drawn into the surrealism and the mystery of it all. It's a film that leaves itself up almost entirely to individual interpretation, and certainly encourages, and even requires, some level of retrospection. I loved it, for all its unashamed bizarreness, and all of its many twists and turns.
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