Mulholland Drive Analysis

‘Mulholland Drive’ by David Lynch starts off with an extremely odd

dance scene, leaving the viewers confused. The scene ends with a

girl and old couple taking a bow. The actual plot begins with a

murder turned car accident on Mulholland drive which a woman

escapes. The woman seeks refuge in an empty apartment. After this

a series of disconnected scenes follow, a dream turned reality almost

killing the man, multiples murders in order to acquire some coveted

phone book, a bunch of mobsters blackmailing a director into casting

a woman named ‘Camilla Rhodes’, an influential old man sitting in

some sort of control room ordering the men that work for him

through a glass wall, a bunch of phone calls about the whereabouts

of some

A

world where she shines and Camilla/Rita depends on her and loves

her. All the absurd disconnected stories are visions she’s having in

familiar or crucial places with people she either knows or has seen in

the passing. The theme of illusion and reality is constantly

maintained. Smaller instances foreshadow the end. The movie for

the most part is loose and a bit annoying as nothing seems to fit, but

it falls in place later. Almost like staring at smaller bits too hard and

not following, but when you take a step back and look at the bigger

picture, it makes sense and this is what the director has done for

majority of the movie. The disconnected and abrupt story lines make

no sense by themselves but when understood as a part of Diane’s

dream, it fits. The visual construct of the movie fits too. The shots are

too close, almost like a person’s perspective. The scenes with

happier tones are well light or in daylight, the rest in dingy rooms or

streets. Smoke and haze are used probably to symbolise Diane’s

confused and guilt filled conscience. The movie also throws light

upon the working of the film industry, the politics involved and