Mulholland Drive - Story Explanation and Analysis 

It's amazing how we have basically the exact same interpretation of the literal events, but wildly different conclusions regarding the symbolism. To me, the homeless lady holding the blue box represents having the truth, at the cost of losing everything else. It could even more directly symbolize her fear of how Hollywood would ruin her life for going public with what she knows. Similarly, the creepy grandparents represent her fear of returning to her former, ordinary life she had before moving to Hollywood. Your video has given me a lot to think about.

Now that you've started going down the Lynch rabbit hole; I wouldn't mind going in even deeper and doing some videos of some of his other work too. Great analysis by the way.

Your beginning story sounds like the start of a joke. "So a guy walks into a dream where he's greeted by Steven Tyler and Ice Cube"

Two of my favourite things together - Max on Lynch.

''when you realize the nightmare is real, and the dream is fake, and when you realize just how powerless you are to stop it, then you know you've experienced true horror." this is a great way to express thanatophobia. nightmare being the constantly approaching death, dream being ignoring it as if it isn't going to happen just to stay sane in our day to day lives

the scene with the homeless person scared me so much when i watched this film for the first time, still gives me the creeps.

Absolutely fantastic analysis. Glad to see you shed some light on the clues from the DVD set because those were always a little too obscure for me! :D I came up with a very boring interpretation of the movie before I looked up how the plot was understood by most (and what is generally considered to be the actual plot), and when I was still trying to piece it together myself. Back then, I merely took it as some sort of meta-narrative, of how actors can shape the movie around them in terms of both story, tone and characterisation, hence the two different realities. We go inside the blue box, and suddenly our characters play different roles, the story changes and the tone is completely different - it becomes a different movie, simply because the actors switched parts, which lead to the script being rewritten... or at least, that's what was happening in my brain. Of course, the theory presented in your video is a lot more profound and makes so much more sense, and it leaves very little room for questions (or at least nothing comes to mind on my end :D). It also adds a great deal of importance to the movie's existence overall. David Lynch is a director who shows nothing but respect to his crew and actors, in an industry that is filled with abuse, harassment and other despicable actions that happen every day. So he's not only an incredibly creative and daring director who sticks to his own vision, but he's also a good and genuine person, and I respect him for that. He's definitely one of my favourite directors out there and I love his work dearly.

Synchronicity I was talking about this yesterday wow and tried to explain the story to some one

it's really amazing how succinct you were able to be with this. the pacing and structure is perfect so it never feels rushed or overly dense. as a long time fan of the movie, this is a huge breath of fresh air when it comes to videos about it.

This is one of my very favorite movies ever. It's the one that got me into Lynch. I love this. Thank you, Max.

I said this before and I'll say it again: For someone who has/is feeling overworked and burnt out from trying to have a normal life and please the youtube algorithm, you are doing an A++ job

Only this year have I began my quest for Lynch films, starting with Mulholland Dr. One good quote of his came from a Rolling Stones interview where Lynch was asked the following question: "What role do dreams play in the development of your ideas and Lynch responded, “Not much, except daydreaming. Very rarely have I gotten ideas from nighttime dreams, but I love dream logic. And cinema can [show] dream logic.“ Daydreaming truly is powerful and a wonderful thing to have.

This is the one Lynch film I've had to rewatch the most to fully grasp.

Spooky, just re-watched Mulholland Drive for the X time today.

Just 3 hours before seeing this vid out of nowhere I wanted to listen to No Stars and then to her rendition of Crying. I *love* that scene. I was always proud of myself in that I could fully explain the story to anyone but I still missed a bunch of things. Thanks for this. They're always gems.

I think you have articulated the consensus interpretation very well. However, there is a deeper layer that some have articulated (Twin Perfect RU-vid channel for example) that I find quite convincing and insightful. Camila IS the casting couch. She is an abstract idea represented by a person. Diane fell in love with the casting couch, it gave her some glory (parts in movies), sexual excitation with the "beautiful people" of Hollywood (directors and producers and famous actors). But eventually those moved on to younger and prettier actresses and began to reject Diane, which made her resentful and hateful. She thought about killing the couch (by maybe going public) but feared being homeless and unemployable for telling the truth (ending up being the dirty filthy homeless person living next to the dumpster, holding the box of "truth", ostracized by the industry). And that is what David Lynch meant by different layers of reality: a dream state: (Betty and Rita, that is more revealing than reality), Diane and Camila (a surface representation of reality), and Diane and the Casting Couch (an even deeper reality that brings with it resentment, fear and self-loathing). Such a brilliant movie.

I love what Lynch allegedly said about the film and his use of red curtains which allow the viewer to be transported into another world, into the dream. "Curtains are both hiding and revealing. Sometimes it’s so beautiful that they’re hiding, it gets your imagination going. But in the theatre, when the curtains open, you have this fantastic euphoria, that you’re going to see something new, something will be revealed.” Such a simple, yet succinct explanation. I loved this film, and its dualism tendencies. I didn't even know about the "Hollywood is Hell" sign until my third viewing. I think I might watch either Blue Velvet next or Lost Highway and then Eraserhead for my fill of Lynch. I'd like to experience his elephant movie and Wild at Heart with Nicolas Cage and Inland Empire. The inland in the title just sounds intriguing then adding empire, like what is that? And I do really wonder if the 10 clues he gave on the DVD to "solve" the mystery of Mulholland Dr. were just a guide, and that the clues aren't there to completely assemble the puzzle. Lynch's open interpretation method is great, and I think we'll never know what he personally thought what it all meant, but that just adds to the magic and intrigue of the film. Loved the flashing montage of Evangelion over your commentary, Max. That video and Tranquil Dionysian's one. Oof... That was hefty, but of great service and information. Thanks for that and this video. What I loved most about the film was the Winkie's diner beginner scene and its hovering, dreamlike camera and exiting out of the diner into the harsh light and that well-timed 'jumpscare' that left me nearly breathless-- the dread and panic that something was coming. I watched this film three times, and you know it's coming but it still manages to perturb and grip you as if you could feel and experience it in your being itself and Patrick Fischler having a heart attack at the end of the scene. Of course, Rita walking up the hidden stair path with Diane Selwyn up to Adam Kesher's house and seeing his "mom". It felt so surreal and exhilarating. Breathtaking visuals and mesmerizing imagery around this film. I did quite like the use of red and neon bright blue, that was a nice touch of symbolism and use especially during the Club Silencio scene and at the very end. I nearly cried from that because it was just so captivating listening to Rebekah Del Rio's haunting, despairing voice leading into her collapsing at the end with the song and her voice remaining. The knocking of the door and the blue key and box, with the incompetent hitman hired by Diane. The final scene with the bum who is a male, but played by an actress was greatly unnerving, and the smoke and diminutive couple appearing again aside from the airport. That scene just screamed unfulfilled dreams and ambitions, shattered expectations and 'reality' and a possibility of an abuse vibe by grandparents toward Diane, though I'm not too sure if they are supposed to be her grandparents or maybe another symbolic image not meant to be taken literally. Lynch truly is a virtuoso of depicting the intangible and the personal. Lynch was one of those filmmakers who were highly influenced by great painters; in particular for Lynch, two: Francis Bacon and troubled writer Franz Kafka; and given that fact, it makes sense because Lynch did some paintings himself. Lastly, Aunt Ruth interestingly when the name is broken apart, you get the phrase: a 'untruth.'

I'm always so excited when I see you in my notifs feed, lovelovelove your content man!

Holy shit! I did not see this coming! I admittedly watched the movie but did not understand or and thought much about it. Brilliant director, thanks for this video Max!

I've never seen this movie but watching this analysis makes me want to.

I don't know how I didn't pick up on it before, but... Club Silencio pretty much has to be literally "the club of silence" - referring to the silence surrounding Hollywood's ugly side, and the circle of people who keep it that way.

this was a fricking amazing video! thanks Max!

Love this! Am currently in preparation for a theater role and this helps me see a more subtle yet obscure perspective on my character. Thank you Max! 😁👍

Just wanted to drop by and say congrats on 200k subs. Keep up the excellent work, dude!

Wow. I literally just finished this movie last night and then you uploaded this video. That’s awesome

this is one of my favorite movies ever. I watched it last weekend and my stomach and heart dropped listening to your analysis. I am happy to say though that my first theory of the movie concerning the key was correct; it was the path to unlocking the truth. I mainly thought this because when people undergo traumatic experiences, our brains protect us from those memories. So, I figured that Diana wanted to block out her guilt and that the key was the ultimate way of her realizing what she did. I didn't know about the color's significance though, but my god is this analysis and film amazing.

Outstanding analysis! I watched your video twice in a few hour window. A film like Mulholland Drive is impossible to decipher in a single viewing. It is a psychological journey through a maze of the subconscious. As I study the film, it is great to see videos like yours to gather multiple perspectives on the matter. This is the kind of abstract film that one could study for a lifetime and still not have definitive answers regarding its true meaning. Of course, David Lynch will never reveal the inner workings and absolute truths in his art, so that leaves the work to us. Mulholland Drive is a great, great film and it is a real pleasure watching it repeatedly not only for the purpose of study, but also for sheer pleasure. Afterall, it has immense replay value.

Are you kidding me! I love your content, Max!!!!!!

Dude, this channel is awesomeness, every video I've watched! Been subbed only a week or so but, man oh man am I very intrigued by this mans content! Bravo! Mwah! Love your work daaaaaarling, really do lol.

that one coffee cup has a vague 'SoS' on it but my eyes may be blurry I did just wake up

Finally an analysis that makes sense.

I never talk about this movie, but I was telling a friend of mine 3 days ago this was possibly my favorite movie ever made.

For years I tried to analyze this movie since I liked but planted me so many questions but it was a complete failure to me but this analisys man.. awesome. A well good job Max :) !

Ohhhgg that's like one of my favorite movies maaaan

There's another aspect to it that lies outside of Diane's mind. First, Betty and Camilla see Diane lying dead - but Betty is still dreaming, so the suicide hasn't yet happened. 2. The blue-haired audience member who said Silencio at the end after Diane died.

Wow. This was another brilliant analysis of a brilliant movie from the most brilliant youtuber ever! Bien joué, Max! #allezlesjaunes 😁💛🙏🏻🌊🧜🏼‍♀️💙

YES!!! You are the best max!

Great Video Max... Mind Blown! ...now for The Lost Highway!

Excellent work as usual.

Excellent video man

Watching this movie for the first time at 17 y.o. was one of the deepest experiences in my life. I was a Freud fangirl and loved analysing dreams. Guess this is why I most of the clues on my first watch (although I didn't know about this list back then) and told my friends "Look at the red lamps!! They've got to mean stuff!!" but they replied I was overthinking :D

I've always enjoyed this film, but I feel like I've never really understood it fully until now, thank you so very much for such a chilling explanation/analysis video. 😀 You do get surrealism after all Max! 😅

i also think the the ending scene is supposed to be the cops arriving to arrest her. The flashing lights look like police lights, and they coincide with the screaming sounds, that sound like sirens. Also, the neighbour does mention that two detectives were looking for her.

David Lynch Said In An Interview That " There's Nothing Complex About This Movie, If You Watch Slowly, You Would Easily Crack It". That's True. I Never Knew Nothing About This Film Before Watching It. While Watching The Movie, Somehow I Interpreted For The First Time That This Is Nothing But Her Guilt. So Glad To See Someone Posting A Video About The Film With The Same Ideology I Had. Thank You Max Derrat❤️

If you pay close attention Camilla never gets killed by the hitman, clue #1 The cop in the non dream world says a woman escaped the accident, #2 The hitman talks about a crash happened prior day with the man he ends up killing, #3 The hitman asks the girl if she has seen a brunette walking the streets

The David lynch rabbit hole is well worth going down. Lost highway is my personal favourite of his films.

My take (abbreviated): The SOS clearly printed on the coffee cup is a huge clue. The deed isn't the murder, it's her acceptance of using the casting couch to get her career launched. The secret shortcut to the party. Diane IS the casting couch, she's a metaphor. The murder isn't a real murder, it's Diane killing or accepting using the casting couch to get ahead. If you live in Hollywood, Winkie's is literally Denny's on Sunset, where arrangements might actually go down. The cowboy is fate, or luck-- another metaphor. Notice when Camilla kisses Camilla, when she leaves who walks the other way in the hall? The cowboy. To me, blue doesn't represent truth, blue is the secret of the casting couch system. The character behind Winkies is the dirty Hollywood holding it's nasty secret. What I think Lynch did here was make a movie that the studios would have never green lit, had they known what it was about-- and he got Universal to distribute it. The movie is a warning. It foreshadows what came to light 15 years later. This casting couch system is a horror, a plague. It's prostitution (red light) and Lynch found it reprehensible. This was his abstract way of telling the story.

Ayy, one of my fav movies😋. Also played silent hill 2 recently, and noticed that it was inspired by Blue Velvet, which was pretty awesome!

AMAZING EXPLANATION ABOUT THIS FILM

Your videos are amazing

Just saw this film for the 5th time hoping I might finally piece it together. Suprisingly, some if it did start to fall into place but my questions still vastly outnumbered any answers I had gleaned. Hence, I searched the net and found this. Wow.... I had about 10% of this and I'm probably flattering myself with that estimate.... my personal male version of Betty trying to pretend I'm smarter than I am. In my defence, I doubt there's a single person on the planet that doesn't have an alter ego which flatters their true selves. Not owning a dvd of this film I was therefore unaware of the 10 clues. In truth, I would still have been baffled. I would therefore like to thank you for this excellent and insighful explanation which has greatly helped me to appreciate the films nuances and depth. The next time I see it will be with new eyes and thusly, a different experience.

Alright, someone help me with this one. Just last night, before this video was released, I had a dream that I was obliterated by a witch. I walked up a set of stairs and entered the door on the left, and reality began to break down. I never saw the witch, but I felt her malevolence as I came undone, dissolving with the room around me. I reappeared in the past and my memory of the event was erased. The dream carried on as it did before and again I came upon the door to this witch room. The memory of what happened last time flooded back into my mind and struck me with terror. I tried to enter the room, but when reality began to unwind like last time I ran. I left the house and tried to get out of the neighborhood, but the whole time I felt the witch's malevolent presence watching me.

excellent!

I just watched Mulholland Drive yesterday! It was my first David Lynch film. At first, I didn't get the film AT ALL. It was mad confusing. Then I read this Radio Times article explaining the movie and all I can say is... what in the Silent Hill lol. The symbolism heavily reminds me of what you'd see in the Silent Hill games. My newfound understanding significantly deepened my appreciation for the movie. Coincidentally, I found a Silent Hill 2 song title that (kinda) spoils Diane/Betty's story: Overdose Delusion.

+1, Commenting for your algo. Also, good shit on taking a risk (to your monetization/view count/content and all that stressful content creator necessary evil) in doing a video covering something off the beaten path. Good form. It's always good to do something cause you enjoy it too, and I empathize with ya how it can be a constant sustainability pull to keep doing the bread and butter that pulls in income. You rock. Thanks for the risk.

No freakin way!!! This movie in my head for couple of days now

15:02 that devil of Lynch did it again!, Rita/Camilla siting on the bed while Bettie enters, its like, portraited on the closet door. I dont know or care if it has meaning, but boy, that aesthetic and framing is on point!

Oh boy your gonna have a field day with twin peaks and inland empire

I'd love for a video on Twin Peaks!

yeahhh best Lynch Movie and Max Derrat anaylsed it! You made my day!!!!!!!!!!!! and i hear SH music, what a combination.

Fine job sir

Also Notice.... 17:22 Disappearing Tear of Camila ....

Awesome analysis, Lynch is a genius and I love your interpretations of his work.

The scene where Camilla and Betty discover the body in the apartment was so gut wrenching the first time I watched it. Lynch really is a master of building a sense of suspense.

i feel apart from 'twin perfect's' analysis, yours is by FAR the best and most accurate

Some dreams definietly have some meaning. Once I dreamt of a lifeless but unharmed woman's body. She was naked, on an autopsy table. I stabbed a knife ih her side, then I woke up to the sharp feeling in my side. Another one, that was more on the nose, that I stood before a mirror. My hair got longer, my face changed, my lips got red with lipstick, and my nails grow longer and got red nail polish on them. These were years ago, and l learned that Im transgender like 8 or 9 months ago. In a more abstract dream of mine, I flew through the cosmos, and through a star. That star wasn't just a ball of hot plasma tho. As I got closer it opened up to be a tunnel and when I gone through, it closed behind me to be a sphere again. Since then I think that if you were to find a hole in reality, or some sort of portal, that would look like a sphere turning into a tunnel, turning into a sphere again behind you. I don't believe that these sort of things exist, and I don't know if they do or do not. I can only be honest about my ignorance, and that's how I am with spiritual stuff too. But my opinion is, that consciousness is a mere byproduct of intellect, and it only comes from our brains. Knowing evolution, it makes more sense than us developing a transceiver of some sort of god or a cosmic unconscious. And synchronicity is just cognitive bias at work. Even if ther's a little chance of happening something so specific, you don't label your memories of something specific NOT happening as such. So you don't have enough perspective. Max Derrat, I found your channel because the Tool videos, and I learned a lot about mysticism. There's differences between our opinions and Im thankful for the chance to show you, and your audience my thoughts. Keep up the good work

Funny that you uploaded this video recently and I just found it even being a long time subscriber, but anyways, I say it’s funny because I just had a serious of dreams that I could barely remember, and one of them had me very angry at family members that I haven’t seen in a long time and I was stuck with 2 of them and I needed medication, but they weren’t taking me to get it, and they were supposed to take me, but they were stalling a lot of time and just having fun at the location that we were stuck at, and I was angry because I wanted to go because I needed my medication. Then later on in one of the other dreams, I was having physical battles with weapons against some of those family members that I haven’t seen in a long time, and I was so damn angry at them in the dream, fighting with strong intent to kill them. Dreams are so damn weird.

Most interesting, like always! Cool Bonnie Aarons appeared there! She's the Nun, Valak from _The Conjuring 2!_ Maybe they got inspired to casting Bonnie as the Nunc from this movie... Definitely looks scary! Thanks.

Hey Max, you should check out Under the Silver Lake, it has such wonderful symbolism and hidden meanings. I'm sure you'd love it.

The fact that it's robes and dresses that's red is to me the bigger hint. It's draped and flowing look is not so subtlety reminiscent of cinema curtains. Suggesting that like a movie, it's something made up or fake. If it weren't already very obvious these kind of curtains feature heavily in the Silencio scene.

Good analysis.

You should do Vanilla Sky!!! That movie totally blew my mind... I like your channel Max, your Aion series changed my life.

This movie scared me so much. I couldn’t sleep in the dark for a week and had really weird dreams that scared me.

Love your videos, although.. I wish they were longer

Why is it that everything is becoming either an Eva refrence or a David lynch refrence in my life. Why are they slowly overlapping more and not. We live inside a dream

The inclusion of the ambient tracks from the Limbo score fit perfectly. There are a few others like Yumi Nikki and Silent Hill 2, but Limbo is truly one of those games that I could compare to an art film masterwork, that transcends the traditional gameplay structure in favour of interactive/immersive narrative storytelling.

Nice analysis.. I think the film is a cautionary tale for naive actresses who chase illusionary desires and end up losing their sanity in the process.

That was really good.

When i look/listen at this video the only thing i can think of is the dream journal that i have written and nothing that i written down makes sense but i`m so desperate to know what they mean and want to talk about it to people

Watching this, it seems to me there are also parallels with The Wizard of Oz. I think The Bum reminded me of the wicked witch, and something about the colour clues reminded me of the yellow brick road and the emerald city. Not to mention the dream aspect and reality not being what it appears to be on the surface. I might have to watch Mulholland Drive and delve a little deeper!

Welp this was a pleasant surprise.

I really think the movie is Camilas visions and perceptions not Diane's, and Betty/Diane is her subconsciousness while its all just Adam's mind making a movie like thoughts in his head

Max, do you have a playlist of video essays that you like or think are interesting?

Now I'm waiting for your analysis of Inland Empire. That would be a mindfuck!

You should try yo dive in the abyss that is Twin Peaks.

Has anyone considered the significance of the name, Winkies? In the Wizard of Oz, they are the western people just as the better known Munchkins are from the east. I know that Lynch is a life long Oz fan so it could track.

Can't help but notice some of the parallels with Perfect Blue. I like to think it could have inspired Lynch to re-purpose the archetype as a way of telling Hollywood's dark secrets. Inland Empire also has what appear to be callbacks to this idea he elaborated on so beautifully in Mulholland. The man has been to many film festivals so I don't rule it out. Also the possibility that any similarities are just coincidental is equally mystifying.

I always thought that the dream happened before she found the key.

That limbo OST in the background..

i dream sometimes scary stuff but most the time i forget it and cant remember i wonder why

All I remember of this film is JOLANDOOOOOOOOOOO

Dreams are all about suggestions: In the most ironical scene of movie history: the coffee scene Adams manager tells him, the director(!) this at the beginning: "See Adam there're some suggestions they're to be brought forward. I know you said you would entertain suggestions. And that's all anybody here asking you to do." All the acting, the scenes, the images, the words, even Lynch own comments (so called clues...recommandations) are highly suggestive. See the marvellous scene with the cowboy, the genius, almost sarcastic, scene of the audition. Indeed its a dark movie about making a movie. It's a nightmare. Lynch's Mulholland Drive is an absolute masterpiece of Art.

Mulholland Drive i can understand all day, but Inland Empire, well that Blue Whale is on a whole other level ill never be able to reach.

Hoping for a Lost Highway analysis

Coolll my friend and i have plans to watch this together today

A+++!

Max, you really really need to play Darkwood and give us your take on the story. There are many people (and I agree with them) that connect it with David Lynch, Silent Hill and Roadside Picnic, so at least the first two should really be something down your alley. It could also have something to do with the Heart of Darkness, after all, all roads lead deeper into the woods (but it's up to you to decide if that's true). Anyway, don't rush, I do not mean to compel you, take your time :) Stay in good health and keep up the good work!

Lately i constantly see something Lynch-ean everywhere... it started when i watched Brand New Cherry Flavor on Netflix which is very "David Lynch" ( and very awesome imho ) and dream like..psychodelic like that.. then i see an article about Lynch.. then i see something else in you tube recomendations about Lynch.. then friend in conversation mentiones David Lynch movies and dream like nature of some of them.. then i see your video now... weird synchronicities :/

The guy spitting up the espresso is an association, Diane was drinking coffee during the traumatic party, so she associates the taste of coffee/espresso with feelings of intense disgust. In the dream space, every character represents an aspect of Diane.

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