Mulholland Drive

I've tried to watch this film several times over the past few years. I would always put it on, reach the 30 minute marker, and, in fear of losing my fucking wits over this self-pretentious garbage, I would leap to my feet and rip the TV's power cord out of the wall. OK, slight exaggeration. But this movie does bore the crap out of me (which, in my world, is the one thing a film should never be... boring). Well, thanks to a team effort between a few friends, I was finally able to hunker myself down and power through... 

Mulholland Drive. 

I'm glad I've finally finished this movie, but I'm... I'm just not a David Lynch person. I liked The Elephant Man. That shit was great. But everything else I've seen of his; Eraserhead, Inland Empire, Twin Peaks (still have only seen a few episodes), Dune... I just can't get into it. 

Now, let me make this clear. This is not a bad movie. There's a lot said here, and -- to the right person -- said very well. Power messages about desire and the fear of failing to capture that desire are explored. Successfully so. But just in a weird, cryptic way that doesn't really reach me. Although, after I finished the film, much like a good movie should do, I kept pouring over it again and again in my head. When it first ended I thought it was complete nonsense. Just a pretentious mish-mash of Lynch-ian cookiness. And while it is very much that, there is also a gripping tale of greed, murder, and self-loathing. 

However, I'm really reaching out to through this post to see if others can help me pin down more of what to unpack from this film. I do have questions. Many. But first, a quick synopsis just to see that I've got the barebones of the narrative down. The film doesn't exactly spell itself out for you. 

We open to some Hollywood actress who gets caught in this (seemingly) premeditated car accident that she survives yet leaves her with amnesia. Stumbling down from the Hollywood hills all beaten up, a friendly wannabe-actress (visiting her aunt in town or something) takes her in and offers to help her figure out the mystery behind her amnesia. Then a lot of bullshit happens involving Justin Theroux, who plays some snooty film director I never care about. In this side-story, he's seemingly battling against the studio system. A studio system that seems to be run by some evil, corporate, men-in-shadows bullshit involving this guy:

Who Twin Peaks fans might know him best from this:

Arrrgh!!! David Lynch, your craziness makes me so angry!

So, there's that side-story of Justin Theroux getting bullied around as he attempts to make his new film, of which he's being forced to make it with some girl. I don't know. Some dude gets murdered for a secret black book. And two dudes explore the back alley behind a dinner only to discover some hideous bum who gives one of them a heart attack. Ugh... Nonsense.

But let me get back to our two ladies trying to solve a this amnesia-mystery. All their investigation finally leads them to a mysterious night club called: Silencio. After the performance, Naomi Watts finds a blue box in her purse and opens in with this blue key she's been carrying around. And then everything goes to shit...

It's a little difficult to explain how the last scene unfolds, but basically I think we realize that this whole film has been a delusion put forth by Naomi Watts' real character -- a burnt out, wannabe actress who's jealous of her more talented and successful friend (the girl who's originally suffering from amnesia). Pissed off by her friend's success, she orders a hit on her her with confirmation that the murder is complete being a blue key. Upon seeing the blue key, Watts launches out of her dream-like state and can't take the reality of her failures ultimately forcing her to shoot herself in the head. 

That's a horrible condensation of the plot, but I believe most of its meats-and-potatoes are there. 

So, my questions... I'll just tackle a few points because I don't want to be here all day. 

First, who were the two dude eating lunch in the diner? Why are they important to the story? And what was with the weird dude out back?

My first assumption is that this is just alluding to certain themes that will be addressed in the film. People ultimately only experience tragedy as they face their worst fears? I don't have a fucking clue and am not going to waste anymore time trying to figure it out. Moving on!

Next, the cowboy. Huh? Who is this dude? He gives the warning to Justin Theroux that if you see him twice, things are going to be really bad. And we see him twice. The second time being so random; just walks through a house party that he doesn't look like he's invited to. And, sure enough, things ultimately go bad. For Naomi Watts. But, wasn't it suppose to go bad for Theroux? I mean, Watts never met the cowboy. Yet, this is all taking place in her head, so I guess she's actually both the cowboy and Theroux. Ugh!!! Fuck this!!!

The old couple on the plane. These are the weirdos that bookend this shit-sandwich of a movie. We see them at the beginning wish Watts' made-up persona good luck in LA, then they come to terrorize the real Watts when she returns to reality. So, I'm guessing they're suppose to stand for her delusional state and guilt. Right? I don't know. They did kind of creep me out at the very end, though. 

And, last, what's with the club, Silencio. Everything is not as it seems. What's the message here? Since this whole movie's existence is predicated on thematic symbolism, my only guess is... I... I fucking don't know. Judging from how Watts is always running away from her fears of failure and how that diner guys get spooked from their fears in the back alley, I'm going to say it might relate something to that. But, honestly, if I have to exert one more of my already very limited supply of brain cells I'll be at risk for a stroke. And I'm still recovering from the last one I had while watching this student film reject. So, with that, I'll bid adieu.

Oh, any good praise? Naomi Watts acted the shit out of this and deserved that Oscar nomination way more than Lynch did. There done.