Lynch’s depiction of Los Angeles is a mean one. He does quite the opposite of sugar-coating in his 2001 film Mulholland Drive. My takeaway message from the film is a statement about the Hollywood “system” of fame. I believe the plot/idea of Mulholland Drive goes something like this: a very specific and small set of people get to decide who rises to fame and who doesn’t because of their power through money and connections at the very top, however, the top is not glamorous; it’s mental torture and will eventually drive anyone to depression and/or suicide.
At least as how I perceived this film, Diane in her insanity caused by the Hollywood system, either dreamed or hallucinated a world where she was this more ideal version of herself, sort of like an alter ego, Betty. Betty displays irony, a characteristic of postmodernism, as she agrees with the elders who dropped her off in Los Angeles that she will be careful, yet as soon as she arrives in her aunt’s apartment and there is a strange woman, of whom her aunt never warned her, she is totally and utterly naive and trusting of her. Another example of postmodern irony in the film was when Camila sends a car for Diane to the “shortcut” to the dinner at the director’s house. She invites her, greets her very warmly, introduces her to other guests, all just to rip her heart out at the table by kissing two other people in front of her.
Mulholland Drive is the most maximalist style movie I have ever seen in my life. The movie has a quick pace, with unique wardrobe and color especially in the scene at Silencio. The film overall has a ton happening in it, bouncing from new character to new character with a ton going on at once, making it borderline impossible to understand the first time viewing the film at least without analyzing it afterwards. Therefore, Mulholland Drive without a doubt is a maximalist and postmodern film.
Ava Ganz 