I didn't really get this movie, but what a ride. Starting out with a car crash on the titular road, "Rita" teases an enigmatic backstory with her mysterious gang connections and blue key. The butterfly-like Betty agrees to help and explore Rita's identity among her newfound wonder at Los Angeles, echoing the audience's innocent wonder and desire to figure out the scenario. Throughout, we are teased with mysterious side scenarios that suggest there's more than meets the eye - a dream figure behind a diner, an incompetent hitman and a supernatural cowboy. Then the blue key is turned and the film's true nature is unlocked - sheer surreal chaos where identities and stories are in flux. I don't really get it all, but I suspect its not supposed to be gotten, just experienced for what it is. In some ways, the bait-and-switch feels like we are being cheated out of a traditional narrative, but in other ways, the characters and scenes were symbols of a hostile Hollywood dream all along. I suspect every viewing of Mulholland Drive will be an entirely different film, as the viewer's perspective makes the story.
Review of Mulholland Drive
