Mulholland Dr. -- 2001 -- R

So from the creator of Twin Peaks, I figured I'd be getting into something weird here, and I wasn't disappointed in the least. It was a bit weird. I knew a little about it going in, and that was it was originally intended as a pilot to a TV series that never materialized, so David Lynch reenvisioned it as a movie.

We start out with a horrific car accident that one person walks away from. She has no memory of herself or her past, and so cannot in any way tell anyone anything about herself. She finds herself in the apartment of Hollywood hopeful Betty, who out of the kindness of her heart, allows the lost girl to stay with her until they can figure out who she is and where she belongs. End normal part of movie.

It is difficult to comment on where this film goes without spoiling very much of it. Suffice to say, Mulholland Dr. is the kind of film that tells its story as it wants to, and then leaves you at the end to figure what in the world just happened. It doesn't neatly tie up all of its loose ends nor does it claim to...or does it?

What Lynch has created is something like a painting that you stare at in a museum and work to figure out the meaning behind the skillful strokes. I had a few ideas of my own before checking out the thoughts of other people, and in some cases, we agree, and in others, I think they've lost their minds. This is that sort of film. Not the Citizen Kane variety where you are left "knowing" the meaning but never being explicitly told, but the variety where the meaning is there if you want to try and work it out.

Of course, with this tapestry, we're not without some weak points. First, there is a veritable slew of characters in this and it is very easy to get lost in the mix. Many of them only appear in one or two scenes, and their storylines don't seem to have any cohesion to the larger narrative. Of course, could these extra characters be characterizations of the larger tapestry? Hard to say, but it's possible.

But on the other hand, we had the best darn dialogue since Star Wars II...yeah, it was that bad. I would like to think that it was deliberate and all that tapestry crap, but let's face it here; this was some pretty crappy dialogue. It sounded stiff and very "movie-ish" in it's construction. You know, those lines that no one in real life actually uses like, "I was thinking of something." "Yes, what is it? You can tell me." "Well, it was a dream." "What was your dream about?"

The main set of characters were pretty well developed, and on the whole, the characters were interesting and quirky in their individual situations. The two leads were easy to follow and they maintained my interest as they looked for answers in a world that defied explanation.

On the whole, the film begs for thought, a trait absent from most productions, which serves to set this one in a place reserved for the most unique. It misses the mark of perfection due to its sheer greyness at the end along with way too many characters (despite their relative greater purpose) and some dialogue that would make George Lucas proud. I'm not saying it's not worth watching, but it'll take more than one viewing to figure it all out.