"This is Director Miracle's first film involving thriller, suspense, and crime genres. Frankly speaking, no one understands what he is trying to express in the film, but there is suspense everywhere, and there are connections everywhere. Adriaan not only picks up what he has lost, but also constantly deepens it, making people feel uneasy and wanting to continue to pursue it." — Le Figaro.
"This is a film that requires you to give up yourself. It is made up of countless fragments. Adriaan wants to win another Palme d 'Or with the multi-line narrative technique that once made him brilliant, but it seems that he hasn't used it for too long. In the end, he goes overboard and presents such a boring work." — The Guardian.
"It's unbelievable. This film is full of low-energy and broken pieces of rubbish. You want to find logic in it? Sorry, you've come to the wrong place. Director Miracle's brilliance seems to be fading because of this. "— The New York Times
As the most popular film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Mulholland Pass immediately attracted a lot of comments after its release. To many people's surprise, most of these comments were not good. Film critics from all over the world seemed to have made an appointment. They unanimously agreed that the film's lack of logic was a considerable failure. Even though many people — mostly French and Italian — thought it was not bad. The composition of the camera, the use of color, the creation of atmosphere, and the divided story, as well as the performances of the two actresses were quite good, this fact could not be avoided when it came to the logic of the film.
"This is a very strange thing. As the famous Director Miracle, Adriaan can't direct such a meaningless film. So why can't he express what he wants to say clearly?" A film critic asked. This was also the question of many people who watched the premiere. Although the applause after the premiere was warm, it did not eliminate the doubts in their hearts. Moreover, Adriaan's subsequent specious answer made this doubt even more.
However, many people were secretly gloating. This was exactly what they wanted to see. They had been waiting for this moment for too long. So in the next two days, the comments on Mulholland Pass became even more fierce. Words such as "Director Miracle has run out of talent" and "This is a terrible Waterloo" kept appearing in the newspapers. This made many supporters of Miracle Director very dissatisfied, but they did not know how to refute it. Although Adriaan had made films with various themes, the style of Mulholland Pass was too different from his previous works. The only similarity was Wide Awake, but that was Kubrick's work.
However, Adriaan did not respond to this situation. The reporters waited outside the hotel for two days. They met Nicole and Naomi several times, but they could not catch Miracle Director. While they were depressed, they were also secretly delighted. Most of them thought that Miracle Director couldn't accept this fact, so he stayed in the room and didn't come out. Naturally, they were free to do whatever they wanted.
But this situation did not last long, because Roger Ebert's film review was soon released.
"This is a surprising work. I had to spend a few days to savor it and take some time to watch it in the cinema again. There is no doubt that Adriaan is a director who is very good at teasing people. Every time you think you are familiar with his style, he will come up with a work that is beyond your expectations, and always maintains an extraordinary vitality and meaning, especially those movies that are not expensive. Yes, a movie like Mulholland Pass.
Many people think that the biggest failure of "Mulholland Pass" is that it has a completely illogical story, but I think this is the most interesting part of the whole movie. Even the harshest person would have to admit that there was a clear connection between the two parts. For example, the actress from Canada in the first half of the movie was called Betty, but in the second half, she was called Diane. The amnesiac woman in the first half was called Rita — this was obviously from Rita Hayworth — and in the second half, she was called Betty. It was obvious that the two of them had an inseparable relationship, and the movie also proved this point. So what is the connection between the name Diane? It's very simple. In the first half, the waitress in the cafe is called Diane, and in the second half, the waitress's name becomes Betty.
Very interesting, right? If one looked closely, they would discover that the characters that appeared in the first half also appeared in the second half, but their appearances were very different. As for what the connection was, it was up to the audience to figure it out themselves. Think about it, when you are in a mess, and because of a single thread, you finally find the whole clue, how joyous that feeling is!
This is an atypical movie. The meaning of its existence is not to tell a story, but to let the audience find their own story. Just like what Adriaan said after the premiere, there is no standard answer for this movie. There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people. "Mulholland Drive" gives enough clues for the audience to find. It's very exciting, not losing to any of Adriaan's previous works. I think I will watch it again sometimes. As for what kind of story I see, I'm sorry, that's my business.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the acting skills of the two actresses also add a lot of color to the movie. Nicole Kidman plays the confusion, fear, and confusion at the beginning, and the sexy and seductive at the end very well. This should be her best role in the past few years. And Naomi Watts is even better. In addition to the naivety and confidence at the beginning as a newcomer, and the struggle in despair after losing her lover, there is also a scene within a scene used as an audition. She handles all of these very well and is very convincing. It can almost be seen as the different fates of Hollywood actresses at different stages. It's very exciting. I have to give her a thumbs up! "
— — Roger Ebert
The release of this film review immediately changed the direction of the entire criticism circle. Ebert was a top film critic in Hollywood. Even those Europeans who thought highly of themselves could not poke too many thorns when talking about his film reviews. Since he said so, "Mulholland Drive" must have its merits. So what was so interesting about this movie?
After the premiere, the number of people who played "Mulholland Drive" began to decrease. Theaters that played "Mulholland Drive" immediately welcomed a second wave of people. Some came out of curiosity, some wanted to see it again, and some wanted to prove that they were better than Roger. Ebert was smart enough to wait, and then new reviews began to come out.
In fact, it could not be said to be new reviews, because many of them were published by film critics who did not speak after the premiere. These were all real famous critics. They would rather watch a few more times like Ebert than come to a conclusion casually. Of course, another reason was that this was the work of a miracle director.
From the beginning until now, every time someone ridiculed him, Adriaan would slap them in the face with the truth. It was fine if it happened once, twice, or even three or four times, but if he still persistently despised them after being slapped in the face every time, it would not be a personality, but a moron and a masochist.
Film critics wrote film reviews for the readers, not for directors or producers. If a reader stood on the film critic's side and was slapped in the face every time, unless they were also a moron and a masochist, no one would be willing to stand with them. So if there was no special reason, such as a grudge with Adriaan or a special mission, these well-known film critics would be very cautious.
"This is indeed a strange movie, especially the latter half. The desperate story of a desperate actress is enough to hurt our nerves, and it will continue to hurt us." — — Los Angeles Times
"From a performance point of view, Naomi's role is probably one of the most difficult roles of the year so far." — — The Times
"The absurd and illogical story contains a cruel theme, which deeply shows the other side of Hollywood. This is also one of the good intentions of the director." — — Liberation
"Mulholland Pass" was, after all, a movie full of logical fragments. There were no hints, and Ebert's words were unclear, so it was difficult to piece together the general idea in a short time. But this did not mean that it was impossible to write a film review. The overall plot was difficult to grasp, but the actors' performances were good. Moreover, the two stories were basically complete, so it was very easy to find something to talk about.
Not only were the critics busy because of this, but ordinary people were also discussing the movie among themselves. On the official website of AC Media, there were also many fans who came to Cannes for sightseeing in the forum. But the busiest person was not them, but David Lynch, who was involved because of Adriaan's words.
For David Lynch, this should be the worst May of his life. Because of the unprecedented failure of "Lost on the Highway" last year, he had no plans this year, so he stayed at home and did not go anywhere. But when he woke up, the outside of his house was crowded with reporters. As soon as he opened the door, they held up their cameras and took pictures wildly. Then they all handed microphones, recording pens, and so on to him, and frantically asked him about his relationship with the miracle director, Adriaan.
God was his witness. Although he was also a relatively famous director in Hollywood, because his directing style was too strange, although he had a famous TV series like "Twin Peaks," the audience was always small. Except for the various film festivals, he had never been treated so seriously in private. It was really strange.
"Sorry, I don't know what you are talking about. I don't have any contact with Mr. Adrian Kewell." In the face of the reporters' bombardment, Lynch could only say this over and over again, but how could the reporters believe him? It should be known that Adriaan personally admitted that this was not his work, but "David Lynch's work."
Lynch had no choice but to return home, and a good day was ruined just like that. For the next few days, he was also unable to leave his house, but he finally figured out the cause of the matter. Although he did not know why the miracle director, who had no contact with him, would say such a thing, he quickly informed his family, friends, and agent, and through his agent, he issued a statement that he did not provide any help to Mr. Adriaan's work, and that he had no contact with Mr. Adriaan. As for why Mr. Adriaan replied in such a way, it was better to ask him. Of course, he respected a young director like Mr. Adriaan, and he also hoped to have the opportunity to cooperate with him, and so on.
After Lynch's resolute statement, the reporters began to be confused again. In fact, since there was no relationship between the two, why would Adriaan say such a thing? Just as they were puzzled, another influential review was published in the Los Angeles Times after Albert's review was published. It was published by a slightly famous critic, but the content could not be ignored, because his title was: Just a Dream.
"I don't know how many people noticed this detail, but when the two stories were separated, which was when Rita opened the blue box, Betty, or Diane, was lying on the bed after the smoke rose. Then, the cowboy who threatened Director Adam opened the door and walked in. At this time, the scene changed, and the one lying on the bed was not Betty or Diane, but the decomposing female corpse from before. Then, the cowboy smiled, turned around, and walked out again. The scene changed again, and it was still Betty, or Diane, lying on the bed. Then, the second story began.
What needs to be noted is that Betty, or Diane, was lying on the bed in the same position as the decomposing female corpse. When she shot herself, she fell on the bed in the same position as the decomposing female corpse. Through the various details shown in the second story, we can be sure that Diane loved Betty very much, but although Betty had feelings for her, they were not as strong as Diane. So, when Betty announced that she was going to marry Director Adam, Diane, who was filled with hatred, found a killer to kill Betty. But when she found out that Betty was really dead — the blue box — the torment of her conscience made her wish that she was dead, and in the end, she committed suicide. "
The whole article analyzed the relationship between Betty Diane and Rita Betty in detail. It then compared the characters in the story to the ones in the story. For example, the director in the story was powerful and influential, so in the dream, not only was he threatened by the mafia, but his wife also slept with a painter. In the end, he had no choice but to succumb to bankruptcy. There was also the change of relationship between the names Betty, Diane, and Rita, as well as the beautification of Betty in Diane's heart, and the different atmosphere of the two performances during the audition with Rita. One had to admit that this guy was quite meticulous.
The report quickly aroused a heated response. Both the ordinary audience and the film critics began to discuss it. Many people supported it, but there were also many who opposed it. The most important point of the opponents was that since it was a dream, and since Betty committed suicide after waking up, why did she dream of a decomposing female corpse?
Those who supported it naturally defended the theory that it was a dream. After all, it was not easy to find a logical explanation. Therefore, all kinds of reasons were put forward. For example, since it was a dream, it was normal to have illogical parts, and the miracle director might be using this method to guide people's thinking. As for whether it was strange to say that it was normal to find illogical parts while looking for logic, that was not something they had to consider.
In short, the heated debate began again. In less than a week, the reputation of "Mulholland Drive" in Cannes rose again, and it became the most popular film at the festival. People who came to the festival would be too embarrassed to chat with others if they did not go to the theater to watch it.
Then, soon, fans added fuel to the fire, posting on the Internet that "the miracle director is paying tribute to David Lynch".
"As long as anyone has seen all of David Lynch's works, they will realize that Adrian's new work has a lot of typical Lynchian vocabulary and settings: the flickering and squeaking lights, the neurotic narrator, the ferocious-looking mysterious man, the singer's voice that is still resonant even after he has fallen on the stage, and the plot that mimics a black movie: the sexy woman who has lost her memory, the tall and strong Caucasian man in a trench coat and sunglasses, and so on and so forth. The reason why Adriaan claimed after the premiere that this is actually the work of David Lynch is that this is a tribute! "
This was a small section of that fan's post. What followed was a detailed analysis of the similarities between 'Mulholland's Way' and Lynch's works. The reason for this situation was that the person who wrote the article was originally a fan of Adriaan. He was a fan of niche films, and Lynch's strange films were his taste, so he liked to go to European film festivals.
At first, he fell in love with Adriaan because of "Two Smoking Pipes" and "Pulp Fiction", but he left after he began to direct mainstream films. This time, when he came to Cannes, he heard that Adriaan had a new film in the competition, so he took the time to watch it. Such a person would naturally like such a film very much, and he immediately began to speculate about the plot. Later, he saw what Adriaan had said in the newspaper after the premiere, and he immediately began to compare, which led to the post.
Of course, there were also many people who reprimanded him, especially those who were loyal to Adriaan. They thought that the analysis was unreasonable and completely far-fetched, and that the miracle director did not need to pay tribute to anyone. However, this fan also had some supporters. Just like in the newspaper about how to interpret "Mulholland Drive", there was also a quarrel, and in the end, it was republished in the newspaper by someone with a keen sense of smell.
When such news was published, it could be imagined how many people would be shocked. David Lynch's strange style of work was still very artistic in the eyes of these people in Europe, so he received much more attention here than in Hollywood. Naturally, there were people who were familiar with his style. After this post was republished, someone immediately came out and said that it was indeed very similar.
"It's incredible, but 'Mulholland Pass' does have a very obvious' Lynchian 'style," said a relatively famous French film critic.
As a result, all kinds of news surrounding this film became even more chaotic.
