 If I had to choose a single film whose impact was the most potent and defining influence on me as an author and film director, I wouldn't have to think twice. There could be no debate: it was David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Having been a fan of Lynch since Twin Peaks made its television debut in 1990, I knew very well that he was capable of conjuring terrifying spectacles. But while Twin Peaks only scratched the surface of something in me which I longed to know better, Mulholland Drive tickled that very same elusive thing on a much deeper spiritual level. How could something so seemingly nonsensical and esoteric be so profoundly unnerving? I'm hard pressed to think of a scene in any other film more visceral and frightening than the Winkie's Diner scene from Mulholland Drive, the analysis of which has inspired prolific internet speculation and yet, to defy definition, Lynch clearly had tapped into something both sinister and meaningful beyond words. My first introduction to a non-linear narrative was Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, and I've favored the storytelling device in books and films ever since. In Mulholland Drive, Lynch (a master of meditation and metaphysics) takes non-linear to the next level, giving rise to the extra-dimensional. The layers unfold into intangible realms, obscure places that feelings call home. At first viewing, I couldn't begin to guess how he was able to achieve that, but wanting to learn and master the technique became my grail. Many other directors inspire me in the art of abstraction – Jordan Peele, Terry Gilliam, Christopher Nolan, to name a few. But for me, Lynch is king of his craft, in a way that none others can approximate. And yes, I’ve seen Lost Highway, but maybe by way of its anima, its feminine touch, for me Mulholland Drive takes the cake. Land of the Haunted Dolls |
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