The best narratives are the ones that get us hooked on something that we can either enjoy or “choose” to take it to the next level with a more careful look. Mulholland Drive’s mystique is all part of the allure. The tension created, without any car chases or gun battles, is incredible.

David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001) is considered one of the best films of the 21st century (appearing at the top of a poll by BBC Culture in 2016) – and the very elements that bewildered some critics are considered part of the film’s genius. Just the same, Mulholland Drive does have a driving, overall message: that Hollywood is a merciless, destructive place where people with dreams, talent, and inspiration are crushed beneath the boot-heel of a vicious power- and profit-driven system.

Emotions are real, even if the experience is just a dream