A David Lynch dream: Where is the real Mulholland Drive?
In 2001, David Lynch shared his ninth film, Mulholland Drive, which earned him a ‘Best Director’ nomination at the Academy Awards. The movie remains one of his greatest, an enigma that many viewers struggle to crack due to its unconventional narrative style, strange characters, seemingly irrelevant sequences and surrealism. Yet, it all pieces together, making more sense after repeated watches.
The plot follows Rita and Betty, who meet in the latter’s temporary residence – her aunt’s Hollywood home – after Rita stumbles into the apartment following a car crash, unsure of who she is. When Betty, a naive wannabe actor, arrives, she makes it her mission to help Rita discover her true identity. Over the course of the film, the narrative descends into chaos and uncertainty, and we come to learn that what we’ve been watching has been a dream conjured up by Betty, who, in reality, is actually a woman named Diane.
After a romantic involvement with Rita, who is actually Camilla, the struggling actor discovers that her lover is getting married to a director. Enraged, she hires a hitman to kill Camilla while imagining a fantasy world, which is what we see for most of the film. However, many elements of her guilt seep through, and eventually, the dream collapses in on Diane and becomes a waking nightmare. This is evident in the clumsy hitman scene, the horrifying creature behind Winkie’s, and the mysterious cowboy.
Mulholland Drive is concerned with the darkness and corruption at the centre of Hollywood, where men take advantage of women and countless talented actors fail to get anywhere, their desires crushed. Hollywood is the ultimate embodiment of the American dream, associated with glamour and wealth, but the reality is far from illustrious, which is what Lynch points out throughout the film. This isn’t a world where innocent hopefuls can magically secure leading roles, win awards and emerge unscathed. In Mulholland Drive, an air of tragedy lingers across the screen; you can feel it in the images of the illuminated city or the bustling movie sets where countless people have arrived, like Betty, only to be painfully disappointed.
Lynch has always been fascinated with Hollywood and its history, calling Sunset Boulevard a masterpiece and one of his all-time favourites. The area and its nearby surroundings are rife with stories, including many tragedies, such as the Manson murders and the suicide of Peg Entwistle, who jumped off the Hollywood sign to her death. The filmmaker used real locations in Hollywood to bring his movie to life, starting with the titular location, where Rita gets into an accident.
The road is 21 miles long and allows you to see the Hollywood sign and the San Fernando Valley stretching in the distance. It’s not far from the main studios, such as Paramount and Universal, as well as Lauren Canyon and the Hollywood Hills. For Lynch, “You feel the history of Hollywood in that road.”
Talking to Filmmaker Magazine, he called it a “mysterious road,” adding, “It’s rural in many places. It’s curvy, it’s two lanes, it feels old. It was built long ago, and it hasn’t changed too much. And at night, you ride on top of the world. In the daytime, you ride on top of the world too, but it’s mysterious, and there’s a hair of fear because it goes into remote areas.”
Clearly, this element of mystery and fear made it the perfect setting to begin a movie about the dark nature of Hollywood, with Rita almost getting shot by her driver on Mulholland Drive before an accidental car crash saves her life – but wipes her memory. Moreover, the fact that “it hasn’t changed much” suggests that it has a timeless feel, as though the atmosphere of driving through it would have been the same during the Golden era of Hollywood when the industry was getting bigger – and more corrupt.
Even that “on top of the world” feeling is present in Mulholland Drive. At the start of the film, Betty’s view of Hollywood is pure, as though she can take on anyone and anything. The reality is that out there in the distance, where the lights flash and people seem to be endlessly partying, nothing is quite as it seems.
