Mulholland Drive
Starring: Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Ann Miller
Director: David Lynch
The film: Just when you smugly think you've seen it all, David Lynch's latest opus lands in your lap and blows your confidence asunder. Mulholland Drive started life as a TV series four years ago, but the studio executives were so freaked by what they saw in the pilot episode they dumped it back in Lynch's lap. He then found the money to turn it into a feature film - and picked up the best director award at last year's Cannes Film Festival for his troubles. The end product is, after 1999's more mainstream The Straight Story, a return to the weird and wonderful world Lynch has presented in everything from Eraserhead (1977) to Lost Highway (1997).
Nothing here is as it seems. A mysterious woman Rita (Laura Elena Harring, right) escapes an attempt on her life, loses her memory and takes refuge in a vacant flat. Enter Betty (Naomi Watts, far right), a wannabe star from Canada who has come to Los Angeles to look after that flat for her aunt while auditioning for a film. They form an alliance and begin to piece together Rita's past. That's the tale in its skeletal form, but it speaks nothing of the assortment of twists and turns Lynch takes you through. It is a strange, almost cartoon-like world, which alternates between bright colour and haunting shadows. There's a midget (of course), a brilliantly inept murder scene, perhaps the strangest nightclub you'll ever see, and a diner that changes its name constantly. There's also no real continuity, so the scenes bounce from past to present, just to keep you guessing. Watts is brilliant throughout, as is Harring. I would say the story has a lot to do with Hollywood and the star system . . . but I might be wrong. I need to watch it about 10 more times, just to be sure.
The extras: You will be disappointed to learn this package comes with nothing more than the original theatrical trailer and biographies of the main players. Interestingly - and unusually for a DVD - there is no scene selection, making it impossible to jump scenes which would help unravel the plot. But that's probably what Lynch wants - a confused audience forced to use all its mental powers. Either that, or they rushed this version into the shops, and a 'director's' version is somewhere in the pipeline.