I've been trying to wean myself off writing IMDB reviews. But felt I had to respond to the reviews for Mulholland Drive.
"It's an art film and I got it! 10/10!" "It's an art film and I didn't get it! 1/10!"
I'm right in the middle.
It's an art film. I got the bits that it is possible to get. I didn't get the bits it isn't possible to get. 5/10.
The premise is about a car accident that leaves a woman (Laura Harring) with amnesia, who then finds a friend in an actress (the excellent Naomi Watts) who has just arrived in a Hollywood that is full of danger and mystery. But this narrative is only loosely followed.
For nearly 2 hours Lynch leads us on a dreamlike journey through the women's search for truth, with plenty of detours via a film director under pressure (Justin Theroux) and strange, often horrifying characters lurking in the shadows.
And then in the last half an hour the movie flips everything on its head and goes to a completely different place.
And it's this final half hour that is the movie's undoing. It just doesn't tie in well enough with the first part of the film. Certainly you can see the connections, but they don't stand up to scrutiny. There are far too many loose ends. And justifying it by saying it's "surreal art" isn't a good enough excuse.
The real masterpiece would have been a film that tied everything together. Mulholland Drive could have been a spectacular mystery thriller, but instead it hides behind it's artistry.
"It's an art film and I got it! 10/10!" "It's an art film and I didn't get it! 1/10!"
I'm right in the middle.
It's an art film. I got the bits that it is possible to get. I didn't get the bits it isn't possible to get. 5/10.
The premise is about a car accident that leaves a woman (Laura Harring) with amnesia, who then finds a friend in an actress (the excellent Naomi Watts) who has just arrived in a Hollywood that is full of danger and mystery. But this narrative is only loosely followed.
For nearly 2 hours Lynch leads us on a dreamlike journey through the women's search for truth, with plenty of detours via a film director under pressure (Justin Theroux) and strange, often horrifying characters lurking in the shadows.
And then in the last half an hour the movie flips everything on its head and goes to a completely different place.
And it's this final half hour that is the movie's undoing. It just doesn't tie in well enough with the first part of the film. Certainly you can see the connections, but they don't stand up to scrutiny. There are far too many loose ends. And justifying it by saying it's "surreal art" isn't a good enough excuse.
The real masterpiece would have been a film that tied everything together. Mulholland Drive could have been a spectacular mystery thriller, but instead it hides behind it's artistry.