Mulholland Drive is a surrealist neo-noir that explores concepts of identity, sexuality, and memory. It’s also a satire on Hollywood and the American lust for fame. David Lynch was named Best Director at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award. A BBC poll ranked Mulholland Drive as the ‘Best Film of the 21st Century’ in 2016.
The plot of the film is deliberately ambiguous and mysterious, with no clear explanation of the plot, or closure at the end, giving audience opportunity to watch repeatedly and discuss endlessly to interpret their own ending and meaning of the film.
Critic Roger Ebert said such an experimental narrative works as a movie because every scene is vignette (a perfect and self-contained story); this makes it emotionally satisfying, even if the pieces don’t all add up.
Others have said the narrative is working on three different levels of reality; first, in a dream (Betty’s); then the subconscious (what Rita/Betty is trying to suppress); then thirdly, in ‘reality’ (Rita and Camilla).
Lynch often creates a dreamlike atmosphere in his films through sound design, surreal imagery, and experimental narrative
Mullholland rive makes use of a non linear narrative switching between the real world and Diane’s dreams/subconscious seamlessly making the audience second guess what they are seeing on screen at that point in time. The film also makes use of an unreliable narrator as she appears innocent toward the beginning of the film before discovering her past later on making the audience unsure of what they had seen up to the point and if its true.
Mulholland Drive is a satire on Hollywood. Lynch, an auteur with a unique and bizarre vision, has often struggled to get financing and support from Hollywood studios.
Mulholland Drive originally started as a pilot for a TV show, though it was abruptly axed only weeks into production, Lynch turned the existing footage and some extra scenes into a feature film.
An obvious comment on this would be struggles of Adam, the director character in Mulholland Drive in the surreal and shadowy Hollywood system.
Movements like #MeToo (2006) and #TimesUp (2018) have drawn attention to sexism and misogyny in the film industry, though predating these movements, Mulholland Drive is critical of the way the Hollywood system treats people, and young woman particularly.
The portrayal of fame, celebrity and the entertainment industry in film is shown to dehumanise people.
Cultural
Mulholland Drive is surrealist, inspired by the European surrealist movement of the 1920s – 1950s with the aim to unite the conscious and unconscious mind.
The film can be categorised as part of the American postmodern film movement of the 1990s/early 2000s.
Diane’s world is hyper-real; the narrative is disjointed, and the film contains intertextual references.
The plot is somewhat inspired by Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950) another film noir about a desperate actress in Hollywood, set on an intersecting road to Mulholland.
There are also references to Gilda (Vidor, 1946) and the paintings of Edward Hopper.
Lynch makes an effort to create a feeling of uncanniness throughout the film. He does this because it will create an unsettled audience and create a memorable experience. He creates this effect by using subtle details such as wide still camera shots frequently. This creates a feeling of emptiness and the space presented could potentially unsettle the audience.
Doppelganger
Lynch showcases this by presenting a near identical and exact double of a living person. For example, the waitress working at the winkies looks identical to our main protagonist Diane. As well as Camila’s transformation looking like Diane. These doppelgangers create deeper meaning and showcase how the characters change throughout the film.
Heightened Performance
Every character in the movie is over the top and theatrical to a comical point. I believe this was not only done deliberately in order to make the film memorable. Instead I opt for the opinion that the characters are theatrical because it is Diane’s idea of what Hollywood is like. This false reality manifests into an almost too energetic world.
Tarnished Idealism
The idealisation of Hollywood is distorted throughout the film which portrays the company as a much darker and sinister organisation. We see this through scenes such as Director Adam Kesher being peer pressured and not getting creative freedom of his film. We also see this with Diane calling a hit on Rita due to jealousy.
Lynchian refers to the mood and aesthetic found in most David Lynch films. Usually, it is used to label something which has a dark, ominous tone with a surrealist feeling. Lynchian can also describe the dark underbelly of something which seems innocent on its surface (as Lynch repeatedly investigates). But Lynchian isn’t just about themes, it can also apply to eerie visuals and unsettling sounds.
Uncanniness – the fact of being strange and mysterious often in a way that’s slightly frightening
Use of doppelgangers – someone who looks spookily like you but isn’t a twin, usually seen as a harbinger of bad luck
Ominous sound design – vital in setting an ominous tone so the audience know something bad is going to happen
Heightened performances – acting is very over the top or theatrical to intensify a scene
Themes of tarnished idealism – a theme where characters or narratives start with high hopes or noble ideals, but those ideals are ultimately challenged or corrupted by harsh realities
Uncanniness – Unsettling audiences and creating an almost frightening sense of mystery. For example, this can be seen in Mulholland Drive in the shots depicting the Hollywood executives watching on from an almost empty, darkened room.
Use of doppelgangers – Based on German myth around how people will one day meet someone that shares their exact appearance. This can be seen in Mulholland Drive with two characters sharing actors, such as Diane and Betty.
Ominous sound design – The likes of backing tracks that make scenes more nerve-wracking and uncomfortable. This can be seen in Mulholland Drive where the sound of the old people’s laughter is loud and distorted.
Heightened Performances – Exaggerated, over the top behaviour in acting. Audiences see this with the monster scene, in which the man from the diner enters an immese state of shock and fear, so much so that he collapses.
Theme of tarnished idealism – The transformation of characters from innocent and wholesome to corrupted and against the world. ‘Betty’ is presented as an aspirational actress who comes across as friendly and positive, whereas ‘Diane’ is bitter and resorts to placing a hit on Camilla to try and make herself feel better.
Uncanniness – The feeling of confused uncertainty. strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way.
E.g.
Through the use of uncanniness, the shot positioning of the normal alley way is given an unsettling atmosphere due to mystery as to what is behind it, which is broken with the reveal of the bum. This is purposefully used by Lynch to confuse and keep the spectator unknowing of what is to come.
Use of Doppelgangers – From the German Myth, 2 of you exist which at some stage you’ll meet. Another version of you.
E.g.
With the reveal of the real Betty at the end, the use of Doppelgangers is used to show Diane’s transformation of her identity into this new persona. This is a common trope within Lynch’s films and makes it reveal a shock value to the viewer.
Ominous sound design – Unsettling music or noises to create fear or anxiety.
E.g.
The use of ominous sound design is used with the creepy distorted laughter of the old couple. Through this, lynch creates anxiety from the spectators as to what it may connote and what it used for.
Heightened performances – Melodramatic acting used with significance to create an enigmatic meaning.
E.g.
With the dramatic singing in Club Silencio, this is a good example of a heightened performance as its prominent usage is done only once in the film. With alterations made to the original song such as the lyrics being in Spanish, their translated meaning relates and influences the plot heavily.
Theme of tarnished idealism – Portrays the character in a poorer state or fall from grace.
E.g.
With the switch up of character personalities, Betty’s conversion into Diane shows her development from the dream-like world she has created into a more unforgiving reality. This is used by Lynch to possibly target Hollywood as showing a false-front has been common in the industry to cover-up .
Lynchian – Characteristic, reminiscent, or imitative of the films or television work of David Lynch. Lynch is noted for juxtaposing surreal or sinister elements with mundane, everyday environments, and for using compelling visual images to emphasize a dreamlike quality of mystery or menace.
Uncanniness – the fact of being strange or mysterious, often in a way that is slightly frightening, the producer’s body proportions is warped in this scene, making the spectator feel uneasy and fearful of him, allegorically commenting on the fearful and unfair nature of the industry.
Use of doppelgangers – Lynch does this to elicit confusion and a connection between two characters, in this scene the gap between Betty and Diane is closing and they are merging into one, foreshadowing to how their identities are about to be complicated and switched.
Ominous sound design – leading up to this scene, we can hear a gradually louder and more intense humming/ rumbling score, eluding to a build in tension following Betty finding out Diana isn’t her Aunts friend.
Heightened performance – The heightened performance in this scene elicits to how Betty is an extremely optimistic and whimsical person in the beginning, contrasting violently to her switch into madness. Lynch plays into the star struck actor in LA trope to amplify Betty’s innocence and naivety in the exposition.The grandparents in this scene also have a heightened performance, signposting them as a vital character in the film to be brought back later.
Themes of tarnished idealism – Lynch uses the concept of tarnished idealism to show the deuteriation of Betty/Diane at the hands of the detrimental and sexist industry. In the beginning, Betty presents as a very innocent and optimistic person, full of hope and wonder. But after the switch, following what she has endured at the hands of the patriarchal industry, she now is reidentified as Diane, a tarnished and broken individual who appears more worn-out and experienced.
Uncanniness: The fact of being strange or mysterious, often in a way that is slightly frightening
Doppelganger: a mysterious, exact double of a living person
heightened performance: The acting is over the top and theatrical
Tarnished idealism: the idealisation of Hollywood is distorted throughout the film being portrayed as shady and leading to bad things happening to people like Diane calling a hit on Rita.
uncanniness: shown through the deformed man who gives an off-putting vibe to the scene. This matched with the low lighting creates an enigma of what the higher ups at Hollywood’s intentions are.
uses of doppelgangers: shown through Diane who is shown originally to be cheery to a more serious attitude as she discovers what she has done becoming a new person both emotionally and physically dressing more causally and having unkept hair.
ominous sound design: an ominous hum is used as the film closes to leave a big impact upon the viewer being suspenseful and thought provoking.
heightened performances: Shown through Diane and coco’s first interaction, they act overly positive to the point where it appears fake and unnerving furthering the point of the film being dream like building on peoples over glamorization of Hollywood.
themes of tarnished idealism: the idealisation of Hollywood is distorted throughout the film with Diane representing what peoples idea of Hollywood is being joyful and excited to become an actress before later on being portrayed as shady and leading to bad things happening to people like Diane calling a hit on Rita.
