David Lynch has always been regarded as one of the modern era’s most singular filmmakers, but even then, the fact his Best Director nomination was the only Academy Award recognition received by Mulholland Drive still rankles among fans of the genre-bending surrealist classic.
Some call it a masterpiece, others deride it as a self-indulgent slog, but the truth leans much closer to the former than the latter. It’s admittedly very Lynchian, as you’d expect, but it’s arguably also a lot more accessible than many of his other works, even if it continues to prove polarizing over 20 years after the fact.
Regardless of your personal opinion, one thing that can’t be denied is that Mulholland Drive is in the midst of a delayed re-appreciation on streaming, having been steadily rising up the most-watched ranks on iTunes for the entirety of the week so far, as per FlixPatrol.
The twisting and turning tale follows Laura Elena Harring’s Rita, who has no recollections after a car crash, which left her to wander the streets of Los Angeles in the aftermath. Once she’s taken in by Naomi Watts’ aspiring actress Betty, things begin to get stranger and increasingly dreamlike as the unlikely bedfellows partner up to try and solve the mystery of who Rita really is.
A modern noir that keeps itself draped in a thick cloak of mystery at all times, Mulholland Drive laughs in the face of narrative structure to deliver a strikingly unique piece of cinema that more than stands up to the test of time.
Published: Jul 6, 2022 03:03 am