FranksFilms

Movie of the week:
MULHOLLAND DR.

People are strange, when you’re a stranger …….then again, ’strange’ is relative.

Last week I recommended a movie called The Straight Story by David Lynch (of Eraserhead and Twin Peaks fame). I said that the film was probably the most accessible of Lynch’s movies. Unlike most of his other movies, it has wide appeal. It’s played straight (no pun intended), without venturing into the Twilight Zone. It delivers a feel good pay-off. It promotes positive social values. In fact, it has been praised both by film critics and spiritual leaders for its life-affirming message.

MULHOLLAND DR. ………..is not like that.

No doubt that if you’ve heard anything about this film, it’s that it was strange and didn’t seem to make any sense, “What does it all mean, anyway?” For my money, this is the best and most entertaining of all David Lynch’s films, and is one of “FranksFilms 10 Favorite Films of All Time.”, and it’s pretty high up on that list at that. It’s freaking brilliant! But – is it hard to follow? Does it make no sense? Well …….. yes & no. If it sounds like I’m being mysterious, that’s because this film is a mystery and besides, I don’t want to give it away all at once. Let me try to explain.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, when you look up into the night sky, the constellation, Cassiopeia, looms right on the horizon. It’s hard to miss – it’s the constellation that looks like a big “W”. But, if you stood on your head, it would look like an “M”. And, if you were out near our sun’s nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri, it would look somewhat different. If you look at it from even further away, it might not look like a “W” at all, it might actually looks like a “P”……. could happen. I suspect that there’s even some vantage point inside our galaxy where the stars in Cassiopeia form a constellation that resembles the silhouette of the great Alfred Hitchcock. Local astronomers have named it the “Vertigo” constellation, though nobody really knows why. In fact, there is probably only one viewpoint (our local neighborhood) from which you can see the W. This movie is a little like that.

As I said, theis film is a mystery, and it IS mysterious, and chances are that, by the end of the movie, you will not have yet figured it out. Lynch doesn’t make these things easy, he doesn’t explain everything to you at the end like a Scooby-Doo adventure. You may be a little unsatisfied immediately after the film (I didn’t, but you might), but you WILL think about it afterward. You see, everything makes perfect sense if you look at it from the correct viewpoint, and it will probably make no sense at all if viewed from, say, the Crab Nebula. The more you think about it, the closer to Earth you get, and the more it looks like a W. When you finally see the W, you’ll wonder how you ever missed it in the first place.

I suppose you could cheat, and look it up on any number of film discussion sites on the Internet. I think that more has been written about this movie than any other I’ve seen – because of the “mystery” you see. However, I urge you not to as it would ruin the whole enjoyment of the movie if you knew about the “twist” at the end. It would be like knowing the end of The Sixth Sense or Scream or Lucky Number Sleven or Fight Club before watching it. If you already know the surprise ending to the mystery film – why bother?

David Lynch makes films that are interesting at several levels simultaneously, depending on how far down into the abyss you’re willing to look. He’s not afraid to tear characters apart and redefine them in order to get down to the darkness (or lightness, depending on the character) inside. Horror writer, Stephen King, is also known for transforming his characters into extreme versions of themselves. King’s transformations are gradual, however, so that you can walk alongside them into their personal hell. Lynch, on the other hand often shatters the characters to reveal that they’ve been in hell all along and you just didn’t see it.

Lynch likes to f*** with your head. If you’ve seen any of his earlier work, you’ll understand what I mean, and it might prepare you somewhat for MULHOLLAND DR. Except for his “conventional” films, like last week’s The Straight Story and maybe The Elephant Man, his films are not safe. They will come off the screen, like the little girl in The Ring, and get inside your head and stay there after you’ve left the theater or turned off the television and then become a life of its own and pop up every so often and remind you that – “Yes, I’m here – now I’m going to push everything else out of your mind and you’re going to think about me for a while.”

The film is long-ish (2 ½ hours). Why should you invest the time?

1. The film projects an atmosphere that’s quite unlike ordinary movies. Besides, why bother with ordinary movies when you have an extraordinary film like this one? This is NOT an ordinary movie – This is NOT an ordinary movie!!!! If you only like ordinary films – don’t see this one!
2. You can sense something mysterious just under the surface. It’s not outwardly obvious, it’s more of an inkling. Except, now and then, mystery pokes its head out of its hidey-hole and grins right at you, leaving you to gape and say, “What the…? What was that? What the @!!$#%* was that!”
3. There is great and mysterious and wonderful chemistry between the two main characters. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s good thing.” I won’t expand on this – let’s just say that most men really really like this movie. (Some women too – If you’re a woman and you really really like this movie, please forward a photo of yourself.).
4. The story takes place in Hollywood. If you are an avid film enthusiast (and I know you all are if you’re reading this) you’ll enjoy nostalgia of the movie reference throughout. Lynch has a way of making his films of the present day feel like they were filmed in the fifties.
5. If you watch this film on DVD, don’t try to skip forward or backward using the skip/back scene button – as in, “What just happened? Wait, go back, I want to see that again.” The entire film appears as a single scene on the disc. Skipping ahead puts you at the end of the film, and skipping back brings you all the way back to the beginning. I’m mystified as to why they did it that way. I guess it’s just another part of the mystery, I suppose.
6. Pay attention! There are clues. Mysterious ones. No detail is unimportant, and not a single frame in this film is unnecessary.
7. There is a single point in the film, when you instantly realize that you have been looking at things from the Crab Nebula. It’s safe, I think, to say this because knowing that it’s coming will, in no way, prepare you for it. These kinds of discoveries, that come around occasionally, are what I love about watching films. You can still be surprised and be caught off-guard.
8. David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” was one of the most unique, interesting and innovative programs ever to air on American television. When it premiered in 1990, it was unparalleled in atmosphere and style and eeriness. It directly influenced shows like Northern Exposure, and dozens of others to follow. If you watch it today, you’d be amazed that such a series was ever put on television, and it would still feel new and unusual. MULHOLLAND DR. is a lot like that.
9. David Lynch’s attention to detail is second only to Stanley Kubrick. There is a scene in the film that takes place in a conference room. A man walks in and serves another man a cup of espresso. He forgot to bring a napkin, and when he is sent out to get it, the camera just sits there and waits until the man comes back. Nobody talks – they just wait. Eventually, the guy returns with the napkin and the scene continues. At the end of the scene, I smiled and thought – I’ve never seen that happen before. No other director would let the camera linger there while seemingly nothing happens. Lynch actually lets the uncomfortable silence happen to effectively build suspense.
10. What the…? What was that? What the @!!$#%* was that!
11. Quick summary: A mystery mysteriously arises. The mysterious heroines are mystified. We, the viewers, become mystified. As we all delve into the mystery, everything dissolves into a mysterious enigma. Perplexed, the heroine struggles to solve the enigmatic puzzle, but alas, is overwhelmed by a puzzling conundrum. Man! Now that brings me full circle!
12. Not to be confused with Mulholland Falls. Also a good movie, but not as good as this one.

If I give the impression that the film is just one big unfathomable mess that you won’t be able to follow, the truth is exactly the opposite. It’s totally watchable and enjoyable, and you’ll be able to follow it just fine. If you reach a “disconnect”, you may realize that you need to follow a different path, but again, you should be able to do that just fine. Will you solve the mystery? I can’t say, but give yourself a chance and watch the film without knowing too much before you see it. Two weeks or so later, if you have more thoughts on the subject, post a comment or two here.

Make lots of popcorn for this one.
Enjoy.

watch the trailer

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 11th, 2007 at 7:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.