There are few films quite as beloved—or as baffling—as David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive.”
After being praised as the best film of the 21st century in a BBC critics poll in 2016, “Mulholland Drive” took the top spot on the “Best of the Decade” lists from Film Comment, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Lafca), Reverse Shot, and IndieWire. Now, ahead of its 20th anniversary on Oct. 19, it’s time to uncover many of the mysteries behind the haunting 2001 film.
The plot seems simple enough: a young woman, played by Laura Harring, has amnesia following a car crash in the Hollywood Hills. Naomi Watts is her naive roommate, an aspiring actress. But that premise — just like the vehicle careening off the twisting, paved Mulholland Drive — eventually falls by the wayside, giving way to a debate over gender identity, the porous nature of reality, and the personal ramifications of fame.
After being praised as the best film of the 21st century in a BBC critics poll in 2016, “Mulholland Drive” took the top spot on the “Best of the Decade” lists from Film Comment, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Lafca), Reverse Shot, and IndieWire. Now, ahead of its 20th anniversary on Oct. 19, it’s time to uncover many of the mysteries behind the haunting 2001 film.
The plot seems simple enough: a young woman, played by Laura Harring, has amnesia following a car crash in the Hollywood Hills. Naomi Watts is her naive roommate, an aspiring actress. But that premise — just like the vehicle careening off the twisting, paved Mulholland Drive — eventually falls by the wayside, giving way to a debate over gender identity, the porous nature of reality, and the personal ramifications of fame.
- 10/3/2021
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
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