Drive me crazy.... Review on Mulholland Drive Movie

Note: This review is about a movie that is rated as not suitable for persons less than 18 years of age. Also the movie has a couple of scenes with graphic representation of love making, if you are of the opinion that such scenes are incorporated into a creative process for “cheap thrills” and gaining over night popularity this movie and the review is not for you. But I also feel that since this movie, is not a work of an Indian, those graphic lovemaking scenes will be condoned with much lesser criticisms or maybe even appreciated as works of art.

There are times when you want to just relax, sit back and watch something that is called a “feel good” movie. There are times when you would want an “out and out entertainer” to inject some fun into the otherwise mundane life. There are times when you want to see a great piece of art and marvel at the people who were part of transforming what was just a storyline into an audio visual classic. And then very rarely there are times when you want to watch movies like Mulholland Drive (MD)

Ever thought of watching a movie that’s built as a jigsaw puzzle that gets tougher and tougher as you try to solve the mystery? With each passing scene bringing forward mysterious pieces of the puzzle which you thought you have successfully unlocked until then? If you think this is something you would like to try then yes, MD is a movie for you.

Technicalities: There can be a lot of views about the overall impact of the movie but what ever said and done no one can argue with the fact that MD is a very stylish product. The visualization is brilliant to the extent that it can be at places described as poetry in motion.

The editing is slick but not all through, in fact some scenes linger on for a few seconds more than what you might have thought was needed, but then you realize the need for such an editing as the movie draws to a close. At times, there is confusion and disorder when some scenes take the place of their predecessor on the screen.

The back ground score is almost a character by itself in the movie (as if the already existing characters were not enough to confuse and confound you). The studied pauses, the mysterious low notes, the spine chilling highs, whispers, screams, jazz, retro, opera and much more blended in appropriate amounts as a master chef preparing his signature dish. This movie is technical master piece; there are no two opinions at least in mind about that.

Without doubt the David Lynch, the director has done a wonderful job of keeping this movie together for most parts. His ability to keep the audience guessing is appreciable. Also the credit of making the love making scenes tastefully without appearing to be vulgar or obscene should go to him.

The performances: The leading ladies have both done a wonderful job. There is this mysterious chemistry between them, which keeps building, as the movie progresses till its most decisive turning point after which the emerging distances amongst the two characters are also equally well portrayed by some brilliant emoting. The character(s) played by Naomi Watts (sparkling performance to say the least) is definitely the more complex of the two leading women (the other being wonderfully brought to life by Laura Harring, a former Miss USA). Justin Theroux in the role of a harassed Hollywood director is impressive and there are some brilliant cameos by actors who play the bits and pieces parts. Some characters come in and go out as if they just wandered into a wrong script, but then they do add to the overall effect of the movie. A few amongst them though, made no sense to me.

The Plot: A freak car crash on MD prevents an attempt to murder a woman (Laura Harring). A “wannabe star” – Betty (Naomi Watts) lands in Hollywood; moves into the apartment which her Aunt Ruth has vacated for her. Betty discovers a woman (the one who was saved by the accident and is using an assumed name - Rita since she has forgotten all about her past after the accident even her name) in the bathroom of her aunt’s apartment. A young man and an older one sit in a coffee shop discussing the formers nightmare….. Cut to a director who is being threatened by a man on a wheel chair and his goons to cast a certain Camilla Rhodes as the leading lady in his next movie. He refuses, the movie gets shelved. The director returns home to see his wife sleeping with some other guy. A hit-man kills a long haired freak after some references to an accident and a black book. He later kills the lady next door and the housekeeper of the building. Then he goes into the street asking hookers about a brunette. Betty and Rita try to put in place the mystery that surrounds Rita’s life. A mysterious cowboy who threatens to harm the director if he does not look at Camilla Rhodes’ at the audition and say the exact words “This is the girl”…. an audition for an audition followed by a real audition, an attempt to find a person called Diane which ends up with the two leading ladies finding her dead body instead, a couple of steamy lovemaking scenes involving the two leading ladies, a trip to the mysterious club “silencio”, a blue box that mysteriously creeps into Betty’s bag and lo behold the movie has turned on its head… Betty is now Diane, Rita is Camilla Rhodes; the director is Camilla’s boyfriend, Aunt Ruth is long dead… Angered by Camilla who initially took a part that was supposedly Betty’s and later betrays her, Betty hires an Assassin to finish her. The movie twists and turns along

The puzzle :The movie is not as much about what is seen as it is about what is implied. The movie keeps you guessing till the very end as what is it that the movie is all about. Does it reveal it all at the end then? No not really and that’s what is beautiful about the movie. It leaves you in a state of disbelief about a lot of things. It raises several questions, answers a few and leaves the rest for you to figure out… that way this is can be called a open ended movie. How does Betty become Diane? How does Rita become Camilla? Did the two ladies not see the dead body of Diane? What is the significance of “silencio”? Who are the mysterious characters that float in and out of scenes? Well this is one movie that will be a topic of debate if you decide to watch it with your friends. There are so many interpretations that are possible and that’s what make this movie enjoyable.

Couple of cautions: Firstly try and catch this movie on a DVD or VCD especially if you are in India, as I do not see it coming to the theatres very soon and also due to the nature of the movie, it is very possible that a good section of it will be chopped off by the censors. Secondly you may want to go back to certain scenes a couple of times before you really make sense of what is happening in it (at least it was that way for me). Thirdly, with all its sexuality and violence the movie is not recommended for people who are not comfortable watching such themes.