in-flight entertainment, mulholland drive

Expectation might be the most powerful force in the universe in my opinion. You could say it was great. Throughout my life and doubtless yours too, the most important and insignificant moments in life are augmented by a sometimes very thin or palpably dense veneer of expectation. Consider this, when you leave the house in the morning and swing shut your door the expectation is that the lock is functioning and your home secure, so you don't check - it's locked every other day you do check. It is safe to assume so, but far from guaranteed. That tiny expectation can have exponential consequences. If the lock fails your home could be pillaged of all it's content, or your nemesis neighbour could plant hard drugs in there, call the cops, and land you in a cell next to a big smelly guy that's getting a bit too friendly. So then comparing truly great expectations, ones that we are conscious of, that even keep us awake at night, the logic says the outcome (or nuclear-esque fallout) should be fundamental, right? Well, let's talk about Mulholland Drive, the 2001 David Lynch film.

Does that sound over-dramatic? Understandable and noted.

I'm not necessarily intending this to be a review or a breakdown on the film, just thoughts that accompanied me along the way and after, and the expectations that were simultaneously met and blown away. I'll also try not to give anything away because then you wont watch it, and there is a fairly substantial moment that determines the entire narrative of the film, so I'll dance around that. Once you see it, you'll understand why it's difficult to write about this film without spoiling the experience, much like a melted ice cream cake that induces your child to tears.

Okay no more waffling. Mulholland Drive starts with an engaging premise. A beautiful Heroine's life is threatened, a traumatic event ensues after which she loses her memory and tries to unravel who she is and why her life was in danger in the first place. Her accomplice is  a doe-eyed LA starlet hopeful - a gripping premise from the first instant. This is my first foray into David Lynch and he has a reputation for the absurd and uncomfortable, so I was curiously waiting for 'something' to happen, because the start was far too beige. However it doesn't take too long for you to see the threads begin to pull, fray and scuff on the tapestry of the film. The framing follows characters as if the videographer is actually walking after them, ambling from side to side. Smiles hang on faces for far too long, shifting you in your seat, and ordinarily welcoming or peaceful vistas - such as a beautifully aged and glamorous apartment estate in sunny LA - give you a real sense of impending dread. The 'weirdness' slowly ramps before becoming exponential, with every single scene - even the rudimentary (of which there aren't many) eliciting my verbatim reaction of "this movie is cooked" or "what the heeeeeeell man" (this is how I talk when I'm home alone and a bit spooked to act really nonchalant). All of the warped storytelling is of course intentional, and while it may seem without reason at the time, almost all of it links back to the main narrative. There are some scenes that have no rhyme or reason to them, and these feel crafted for an era where the internet was less pervasive, where heated debate and discussion about what it all meant happened face-to-face rather than on Reddit. As the leads peel back the layers on the mysteries of their lives, they slowly descend into madness, and you join them on the ride, perhaps losing or beginning to question your own sanity along the way.

I genuinely can't say much more about the plot of this film without spoiling it to the degree that it would become unwatchable, so I'll loop back to my original tangent to close things off. Having read rave reviews about Mulholland Drive and having been drawn to the bare, yet tantalising synopsis offered online, my expectations were high. And in many ways my expectations were exceeded, maintained and let down throughout the course of the film. I don't even know if there is any kind of point to be found in what I've written, so apologies if you were awaiting some form of free wisdom, I'm more inclined to paid wisdom, or free idiocy. I think that my expectation to love this movie let me down, I don't think it's a movie I could love. Watch again? Yes. But watch again with a smile? Likely not. Simultaneously, having preconceived expectations allowed the narrative to play sleight of hand with me, leading me somewhere before abruptly going off course to show me something different, but only once I'd indulged in it's secrets and was in too deep. Unexpected, and rather delicious.

With great expectations comes great responsibility - mainly owed to yourself. If they are lofty, be humble enough to acknowledge when you've been let down, if they were lowly, be proud enough to suggest they were exceeded. In this case, come without any bloody expectations, because this movie is off its tree (but well worth a watch nonetheless).  

My final note, and somewhat of a spoiler so avert your eyes. This movie does not end happily, neutrally, amicably, in keeping with sanity and reliably induces profanity, it is intense and grim. So, line up something cleansing for afterwards, maybe Happy Gilmore.