WARNING: Contains Spoilers!
It would be quite an understatement to say that Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) is just a psychological thriller, mainly because it leaves the viewer with the question “what just happened?” at the end of the film. There is a much deeper element to the film than the average psychological thriller. As mentioned in Todd McGowan’s essay over Mulholland Drive “almost everyone who sees [the film] notes that the first part of the film makes a good deal of sense” which is completely accurate. However, the film takes a drastic turn and the initial events of the film simply evaporate two-thirds of the way through, with the characters turning inside out. In Mulholland Drive the fantasy element showcased throughout is extremely important and present in both the first and second halves on the film.
Although, while watching the first half of the film the viewer is led to believe it is all reality with a few instances of weird and unusual happenings, the second half of the film completely disrupts this concept. David Lynch uses the elements of fantasy and desire to overtake both sections of the film, which are characterized as main themes he uses in a number of his films. At the point in which reality does come into play (the dropping of the blue box), the viewer learns that Naomi Watts is actually Diane Selwyn and Laura Elena Harring is actually Camilla Rhodes. It is now obvious that Diane created the first section of the film as a fantasy in her mind. She so desperately desired Camilla but she was rejected and thus created another “reality” within her head in which Camilla is completely dependent on her. But the actual reality of the situation is that Diane is completely dependent on Camilla and greatly desires her to the point of complete obsession. Diane’s obsession leads to another fantastical element showcased in the film which is the use of hallucinations. These hallucinations take place in the second half of the film, where Diane’s obsession and desire for Camilla becomes too much to handle and they manifest into full on hallucinations. This is, however, not all her doing because Camilla presents herself in a way that sustains Diane’s desire and, in a way, tempting her or even toying with her. Ultimately, this leads Diane to go insane and finally decided in a state of panic to kill herself to put an end to the madness.
Overall, Mulholland Drive definitely had the viewer leaving the film wondering what had just happened but then again that is the point of a psychological thriller. David Lynch did an incredible job at staying true to his element of fantasy in both sections of the film. Although it was not evident that the first half was really just a fantasy until the second half the film hoped the viewer would make the connection between the two sections. The intense element of fantasy is very relatable because most viewers have visions of who they want to be and what they desire, which is exactly what David Lynch presented in his film giving it a deeper meaning that the average psychological thriller.
“It’ll be just like in the movies. We’ll pretend to be someone else.”
Naomi Watts, as Betty / Diane Selwyn
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