Review of Mulholland Drive

I found Mulholldand Drive to be a fantastic film, having loved all of David Lynch's films seen personally so far (personal favourite being The Elephant Man, one of the most emotionally affecting films ever made) with the exception of Dune. For this viewer, Mulholland Drive is one of Lynch's best films and among the best films of the 2000s, but it is also one of Lynch's most love-it-or-hate-it films- from a love/hate him director- as seen in the reviews here. And it is very understandable why people would dislike it, it is weird (not unusual for Lynch), it is slow, the story mayn't be clear to some, the symbolism may go over people's heads and it does get confusing especially towards the end. And it has nothing to do with not getting it, it is just not for everybody's tastes and not everybody is going to connect with it. For those who love it neither of these are problems, admittedly it is a good idea to be acquainted with Lynch's style beforehand so that it doesn't come across as too much of a shock and also to watch it more than once. Justifying what was so great about Mulholland Drive, a good place to start would be the visuals, which are never less than scintillating with bold colours, symbolic imagery and some of the most striking cinematography of any film from this decade. The Silencio Club scene is so beautifully shot. The haunting retro score, thought-provoking dialogue and that it contains some of Lynch's finest direction and the best directing of all the films from 2001 are further things to like. The story is where those who dislike it are perplexed, granted there may be too many plot strands crammed in towards the end and not everybody's going to like how the ending is open to interpretation, but with me the thriller-drama story was gripping and I was captivated so much by the surrealist atmosphere, offbeat emotional intensity and sizzling suspense that the slow pacing didn't feel slow at all. It wisely focused on the relationship between Watts and Harring, and while bizarre it was very well handled. The cast carry the film brilliantly, especially with the sensational lead performance of Naomi Watts who has never been better than here. Laura Harring is enchanting and Justin Theroux is very good. In conclusion, while not for everybody's tastes for understandable (and quite obvious) reasons Mulholland Drive was fantastic in all areas. 10/10 Bethany Cox