Mulholland Dr. (2001) *****

There are many reasons why I love Mulholland Dr. (and please don't point out the obvious, those of you who have actually seen it). The film is so many things at once it's hard to keep track. It's a thriller. It's a noir. It's a triangulated love story. It's a tale of vengeance. David Lynch has spun all of these things together to create his masterpiece. He is the true master of the WTF.

The film is about many things. I could go into detail about them, not because I'm afraid of spoiling the plot, but because it will sound complicated. Just sounds, not that it really is complicated. The film basically follows Betty (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Harring) as they try to piece together who Rita really is due to amnesia. Betty is a small town girl in Hollywood to make it big in movies. Throw in director Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) and his ultimate bad day and you round out the main plot of the film.

Or so you think because this isn't your typical Hollywood fare. This is a David Lynch film and what appears to be simple is not. But it really is. Are you getting this so far? There are so many layers to Mulholland Dr., you will have to watch it twice to get to the core of the film. Nothing is what it seems, not because of sci-fi or Doc Brown. It's the basic human condition that makes people see what they want to see and be what they want to be. It's a film about lost dreams. It's Sunset Blvd. for the kids that grew up on Star Wars. It's a movie that doesn't just sit there on the screen. It gets your mind going. You make it what you want it to be.

In a sense, David Lynch's career has been pushing forward to this point. Starting with the extreme avant garde of Eraserhead, to the very approachable Blue Velvet (kudos to Dennis Hopper), proceeding down the Lost Highway, he has finally ended up with his finest work. A film that tells a Hollywood story without us even knowing it.

As I said, David Lynch is the King of WTF. You will say WTF a lot during the first three quarters of this film, but you'll still stay interested up until the final sense when it all comes together. Mulholland Dr. is a film that keeps the mind racing, daring you to figure out what the hell's going on before the credits roll. This is one of the most cerebral films ever. This is a true masterpiece.