32 posts tagged “movies”
Warning: CONTAINS SPOILERS
Last night Ben and I went and saw the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. I have never seen the original, so I didn't know what to expect, but it had Keanu Reeves in it (as an alien, which requires no emotion, so we figured he might actually do well) and it was about aliens, so we had to see it.
I ended up liking it a *lot* more than I expected to. I just read a brief synopsis of the 1951 version of the movie, and from what I can tell, this is a similar creation, but in a modern and perhaps more profound language.
Plot Summary
The US government becomes aware that there is a large space object heading directly for earth and so gathers together the best scientists to try to help avert the situation. Helen (Jennifer Connely) is an astrobiologist. She studies microbiology, theorizing about other planets. Anyway, as they all brace for impact they notice that nothing happens. No great tragedy. Instead, a bright light slowly decends over New York City, and eventually a globe of swirling light lands in Central Park.
Helen is at the scene, and when the alien walks out of the "ship" she walks towards him. Just as they are about to reach out and shake hands, one of the many military soldiers there shoots the alien. His alarm system, a giant robot that shuts down all electricity in the area, comes to his defense, ready to destroy the military, until the alien whispers something that makes him shut down.
The government is first and foremost concerned with finding out if there is going to be an attack on planet earth, and the fear guides them. It's clear that almost everyone in this film is guided by fear and the need for security. It turns out that the alien, Klaatu, has come representing a leauge of alien civilizations coming to assess the threat of humans to the planet earth, and if necessary, to exterminate them.
One of my favorite scenes is when Klaatu comes to a McDonalds, where he meets with an old Asian man who happens to be an alien who has lived on the planet for 70 years. He says that without question humans are a destructive race, and should be dealth with. But then he refuses to leave the planet. As destructive as we are, there is something about us. Life for a human is hard, he says, but there is another side. He can't explain it, but somehow, he loves them, and cannot leave.
Another part that I really love is when Helen takes Klaatu to a nobel prize winning mathematician's house (played by John Cleese), and Cleese's character asks Klaatu what the turning point for his race was. Klaatu responds that their star was dying, and they had to evolve. Cleese used this to make a point. Yes, we are a destructive race, but it is always at the precipice, the moment of devastation when all seems to be lost...that is when we change. Please, don't take this moment away from us, it is our moment, the moment of truth for our race.
And yet while seeing and hearing these things, those in power continue their actions out of fear, hunting the alien down, trying to destroy the robot that came with him. And every time they do this, things get worse.
My Thoughts
And afterwards I was thinking about how incredible life is, because if you take these things together, every action we make out of fear and the need to protect ourselves makes things worse, but at the same time, when do we change? When things reach the brink of despair.
And so it's almost like salvation is built into the system, even in the darkest of times. If you can relax and trust and love, that's great. But even if you threaten or don't take time to understand and you act out of your reactionary mind...eventually you yourself, by your own actions, will make things so bad that it finally gets through to you.
At the end of the movie, Klaatu gives his life to save the human race, convinced that the good in us is worth saving. And so he stops the device that had already wiped out much of our infrastructure and many of our people, but it comes at a price. The destruction stops, but we are left with no electricity, no power.
And the reaction is brilliant. The people stop. Stop moving, stop struggling. A moment of pure calm decends on everyone. They open their eyes and just look at everything. People in offices open the blinds and let the sun in. To me it looked like they had opened their eyes for the first time. It's a profoundly beautiful moment.
Of course, I suspect that the moment will be short lived and that people will fall back into fear shortly enough, but while it lasts, it's so beautiful.
I think that's what gives me hope beyond anything else. Not that the bad times make you stronger, it's not about that. It's that even *through* the bad times, it's like there's some sort of aim of existence to bring us to the light, by whatever means possible. Every single moment is an opportunity to stop fighting and be still, to open our eyes for the first time. And each moment that we don't take it, we build up towards a tragic moment where we finally can see it.
It doesn't erase the tragedy, but I definitely feel that it gives the tragedy a kind of purpose and that perhaps there may even be, at the heart of existence, something motivated simply by love.
“Hope consists in asserting that there is at the heart of being, beyond all data, beyond all inventories and all calculations, a mysterious principle which is in connivance with me, that cannot but will that which I will, if what I will deserves to be willed and is, in fact, willed by the whole of my being."
- Gabriel Marcel
Nope, I'm not talking Camus. I'm talking Tarsem.
Last night I went with a friend of mine to see The Fall, a movie done by Tarsem Singh, the maker of The Cell. Now, I wasn't a huge fan of The Cell, beautiful movie but weird as hell, and I wasn't really all that good at analyzing movies at the time, so I didn't get much out of it.
For this movie though, I had high hopes. Why? It has the same sort of surreal and fantastical look to it, but the story is very straightforward and beautiful. The real world half of the story may have been a little predictable, but I forgive that because of how emotional it was. My friend complained of being hit over the head with the message, but I think it really worked.
The movie centers around a little immigrant girl named Alexandria who has fallen and broken her arm and is staying at a hospital. The movie follows her, and everything is seen basically from her perspective. By chance she meets a man at the hospital, Pushing Daisies' Lee Pace, who has also fallen and injured himself. He starts telling her a story about five bandits who are out to kill the evil Governor Odius. What she doesn't know is that he's using the story to manipulate her into helping him.
The problem is that what he wants to do is kill himself. Obviously he doesn't tell her that, but all the adults know he is suicidal. There is a lot of talk of suicide and that's why my friend felt like she was being hit over the head with it. But the reason I think it worked was because we were supposed to be seeing things through Alexandria. And when you are a child dealing with issues way to adult for you to comprehend, no amount of hearing about them is going to make you understand. You're slightly aware of these words and feelings floating around in some space, but it doesn't make sense and you kind of just keep chugging along kind of blindly.
At least, that's how my childhood often felt.
If this had been merely a story of how the light of a child saves the life of a man in despair, it would have been boring. But it's much more complex than that. It's almost more about her than it is about him. I think it was a brilliant movie and was worth going to see. If you don't get this in time to catch it in theaters, make sure you get a hold of it when it comes out on DVD.
Not to mention, the movie was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, especially the way it wove the real world into the imaginary one with incredible tact and beauty.
Here we go folks!
Movie: The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky
Synopsis:
Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Past, present, future. Through time and
space, one man embarks on a bold 1000-year odyssey to defeat
humankind's most indomitable foe: Death. Hugh Jackman plays that man,
devoted to one woman (Rachel Weisz) and determined to protect her from
forces that threaten her existence. His quest leads him to a Tree of
Life...and to an adventure into eternity. Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem
for a Dream) directs, continuing his string of imaginative, involving
filmmaking with a tale alive with ideas and filled with astonishing
vistas. "Not many films can blow your mind and break your heart at the
same time, but this one will."
This film wasn't well received, but I think that's because it is difficult to understand. And if it's difficult to understand, it might just be right up our alley. :)
Extra Credit: The Orphanage, Guillermo Del Toro
It's still in theaters so it's not fair to make it the main movie, but GO SEE IT. It's from the maker of Pan's Labyrinth, only it's *better.* Yes, you heard me. Go watch it and come back so we can discuss it!
Book: His Dark Materials Trilogy, Phillip Pullman
Synopsis:
From Amazon.com: These books are what the very best of Children's literature does. They
are entertaining and fanciful, yet they simultaneously challenge and
educate both the mind and heart. Like hot soup when you are sick, they
are "Good and Good for You."
"His Dark Materials" are a great counter-point to the mindless fun of Harry Potter and friends. Pullman's writing is educated and insightful, his characters are real and multi-faceted. The series is packed with adventure, ideas, beliefs, fantasy, talking armored bears, Texas Balloonists, animals, gypsies, and just about everything else. The tone of the series is serious, and as dark as the name implies.
"Chronicles
of Narnia;" "Prydain Chronicles;" "The Hobbit;" "Harry Potter;" "The
Time Quartet;" "Wind in the Willows;" and now..."His Dark Materials."
Philip Pullman, welcome to the club.
Controversy:
These books have caused quite the controversy, as they were written by an atheist, and the story is said to be very anti-religious. Because of this, I think *everyone* should read them. There's no use debating whether or not they are good or bad, or harmful or insightful if we don't know what we're talking about. No matter where you fall theologically, these books are an exciting ride, and can lead to some pretty awesome discussion!
Note: Normally, we put it to a vote, but this round I have very little time, so I'm picking the book and movie selections based on what I'm already reading/watching. I hope you guys don't mind, and I think they're decent enough choices that we can have some fun with them. :)
I *just* finished watching it.
I really, really liked this movie. I'm not sure I fully get it with just one viewing, but the main message reads loud and clear. Do not tell me this is just novelistic. Do not tell me these things only happen in movies.
I'll probably post more on it later. I just wanted to say how much I liked it. :)
PS Spoiler (highlight to reveal): I love the frogs! How awesome is that?
Not too many people voted, but it's all good. Not too many people participate either, but it doesn't matter. I'd rather have quality than quantity, and boy do we have it. :)
Here's the book for this round:
"As the novel follows the protagonist, Patrice Mersault, to his victim's
house -- and then, fleeing, in a journey that takes him through stages
of exile, hedonism, privation, and death -it gives us a glimpse into
the imagination of one of the great writers of the twentieth century.
For here is the young Camus himself, in love with the sea and sun,
enraptured by women yet disdainful of romantic love, and already
formulating the philosophy of action and moral responsibility that
would make him central to the thought of our time."
Happy reading/watching! ;)
I know it's been a while, but I like to wait until at least more than one of us have finished before we move on. That said, it is now time to vote for the next book/movie! As always, if you don't like the suggestions I put here (they're really more like idea starters) feel free to let me know what you *want* to read! :)
Book Suggestions:
"Elegantly styled, Camus' profoundly disturbing novel of a Parisian lawyer's confessions is a searing study of modern amorality."
Camus is one of the most famous existentialists...although he distanced himself from the movement at the time.
A Happy Death - Albert Camus
"As the novel follows the protagonist, Patrice Mersault, to his victim's house -- and then, fleeing, in a journey that takes him through stages of exile, hedonism, privation, and death -it gives us a glimpse into the imagination of one of the great writers of the twentieth century. For here is the young Camus himself, in love with the sea and sun, enraptured by women yet disdainful of romantic love, and already formulating the philosophy of action and moral responsibility that would make him central to the thought of our time."
The Children of Men - P.D. James
"Near the end of the 20th century, for reasons beyond the grasp of modern science, human sperm count went to zero. The last birth occurred in 1995, and in the space of a generation humanity has lost its future. In England, under the rule of an increasingly despotic Warden, the infirm are encouraged to commit group suicide, criminals are exiled and abandoned and immigrants are subjected to semi-legalized slavery. Divorced, middle-aged Oxford history professor Theo Faron, an emotionally constrained man of means and intelligence who is the Warden's cousin, plods through an ordered, bleak existence. But a chance involvement with a group of dissidents moves him onto unexpected paths, leading him, in the novel's compelling second half, toward risk, commitment and the joys and anguish of love. In this convincingly detailed world--where kittens are (illegally) christened, sex has lost its allure and the arts have been abandoned--James concretely explores an unthinkable prospect."
Movie Suggestions:
Children of Men
To go with the book, if we choose it.
Tsotsi
"Captivating audiences worldwide, this compelling story of crime and redemption has earned countless awards around the globe. On the edges of Johannesburg, Tsotsi's life has no meaning beyond survival. One night, in desperation, Tsotsi steals a woman's car. But as he is driving off, he makes a shocking discovery in the backseat. In one moment his life takes a sharp turn and leads him down an unexpected path to redemption ... giving him hope for a future he never could have imagined."
Magnolia
"An intriguing and entertaining study in characters going through varying levels of crisis and introspection. This psychological drama leads you in several different directions, weaving and intersecting various subplots and characters, from a brilliant Tom Cruise, as a self-proclaimed pied-piper, to a child forced to go on a TV game show and the pressures he faces from a ruthless father."
Oh, and as an FYI, I haven't read or watched any of the above books/films other than the movie version of Children of Men. :)
Happy Voting!
It's based on a graphic novel. And does something sound familiar?
Oh yeah, that's Apocalypse Please. But it's only the piano bits. :)
I love how Muse is being used everywhere now. :)
Here are all the previous posts on the movie! Beware, some of these contain spoilers! ;)
Coventina's Response and Questions
Common Theories - There are a *whole* bunch of them.
Ten Clues Explained - Explanation of what the ten clues that David Lynch gave out mean.
The Blue Haired Woman - What does she represent?
David Lynch and Transcendental Meditation - How does Lynch's real life background in TM influence Mulholland Drive? Also an exploration of Alan Shaw's interpretation of the ten clues.
Shaking Betty - What does Betty's seizure in Club Silencio represent?
Taken from Lost on Mulholland Drive:
Pay particular attention to the beginning of the film: at least two clues are revealed before the credits.
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Jitterbug contest: Betty wins. Irene and her companion cheer her up.
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The dance contest had been a stepping stone for Diane to move to Hollywood and pursue an acting career. We hear again of it at Adam's dinner party.
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Betty is shown bathed in the spotlight as the scene fades into Diane's bedroom. We see images of dancing pairs while Betty, aside from the two old people, is seen without a partner. Irene and her male companion are apparently a manifestation of Diane's good/innocent side.
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In order of appearance, the credits list Betty well before Diane. This means that the partner-less jitterbugger we see is Betty. This fact is supported by someone shouting "Betty, Betty" off-screen right before the scene fades into Diane's bedroom. Does this mean that Diane is spinning a yarn when she tells us that she won a jitterbug contest? Or was the contest real, but just represented to us differently than how it happened?
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Though people still jitterbug today, those are clearly supposed to be people from back in the day. Everyone is wearing vintage clothes. At present day nostalgia type sock hop most people would be wearing current clothing and maybe a few would be wearing contemporary versions of typical jitterbug attire. Are we supposed to believe this is all a throwback to the good old 50s or before (the time when Aunt Ruth was young) and not a jitterbug contest that Betty/Diane was at? (Also consult clue #10 F)
Related: Jitterbug Contest
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Right before the camera zooms in on the pillow it seems to focus on the area of the floor where the blue box later disappears at Havenhurst.
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We here a noise that distinctly sounds like cocaine being snorted followed by the sound of someone breathing hard, falling into the pillow.
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Somebody is falling into a (drug-induced?) sleep - a dream is about to begin.
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We later see the same green blanket and red pillow when Diane wakes up. It's her dream.
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Notice appearances of the red lampshade.
Another clue to the viewer that we have at least two alternate realities.
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In Diane's dream the red lampshade appears at the end of a phone-call chain, in the middle of Hollywood's Byzantine conspiracy. The call is not being answered. Possible interpretations:
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It's a visual clue to us, the viewers, that Betty/Diane is the last in this pyramid scheme of Hollywood behind the scene operators. This is reality poking its head in Diane's dream reminding herself that it was she who arranged the accident, both literally (when she arranged the hitman to kill Camilla), and figuratively (when she created a better version of Camilla in her dream). The phone goes unanswered because Diane is unwilling to acknowledge that she is, indeed, the one and only creator of such machinations; the viewers themselves only make the connection hours later, when we see another shot of Diane's phone.
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The call is meant for Diane Selwyn in the fantasy sequence, but it remains unanswered as her body lies decaying at Sierra Bonita.
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They call for real Diane Selwyn. Since the Hollywood underworld controls the movie business, Diane would idealize acceptance in this world. "The girl is still missing" refers to Diane holing up in her apartment for weeks, imagining Hollywood to be clamoring for her.
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It's a replay of the call to attend the dinner party, only with Mr Roque as the initiator and Diane avoiding the call. It's her pathological way of dealing with reality. Diane feels that she should never have come. She should never have picked up the phone when Camilla called that night.
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Mr Roque's line "The girl is still missing" is referring to Rita. There is a shot of her sleeping under the kitchen table before the phone call sequence starts, establishing that she is the girl who's still missing... from the crash scene. Was she on her way to a liaison with Mr Roque?
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When Diane Selwyn wakes up and thinks of Camilla, we learn that the phone by the red lampshade is actually her own home telephone. When she answers it, Camilla invites her to 6980 Mulholland Drive.
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More red lampshades:
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inside the corner shop at Pink's. In connection with the prostitute who looks like a doppelganger of Diane it could symbolize Diane being subjected to prostitution. Is she a call girl living a double life?
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another red lamp shade is visible at Havenhurst on first floor above Aunt Ruth's apartment.
Related: Red Lamp Shade
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Related: Phone call chain
There's a blue lamp shade on the table in Mr Roque's room. Blue/Red as a yin/yang symbolism?
Related: Lamp shade galleryCan you hear the title of the film that Adam Kesher is auditioning actresses for? Is it mentioned again?
Another hint that we deal with alternate realities.
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We hear on the set that Adam Kesher is auditioning for the leading role in the "Sylvia North Story"
(stagehand saying "The Sylvia North Story, Camilla Rhodes, take one." just about when Blond Camilla walks in). -
This movie title is mentioned again by Diane at Adam's dinner party. Wilkins tells that Bob Brooker directed the "Sylvia North Story" and Camilla was great in it.
Judging from the title, "The Sylvia North Story" is presumably a tragic story of a fallen starlet, for which both Diane and Camilla were auditioning. Irony to their tragic ends.
An accident is a terrible event... Notice the location of the accident.
On the way to 6980 Mulholland Drive, at Adam Kesher's house. It is the place where Diane is picked up by Camilla following her hand in hand up through the secret passage. Diane thought maybe Camilla was interested in reconciling with her after all, but did not know about Camilla's surprise announcement for later that night. The party turned out to be a horrible humiliation for Diane, so in her rage and jealousy she orders a hit on Camilla. Later she feels remorse about it.
In Diane's dream Rita is getting high-jacked on
her way to Adam at the same place, but she escapes hit & accident.
Possible interpretations:
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The messed up hit both prevents Camilla from reaching her destination (the dinner party?) and allows Diane's guilt to be assuaged as the hit fails. This way Diane wants to undo her terrible crime.
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If an accident is to be taken figuratively and not literally, then the dream accident of Rita on Mulholland Drive is just a stand-in for Diane's accident - an unexpected and traumatic event (dinner party) where her illusions shattered.
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In Diane's dream the hit on Camilla was initiated by the shady consortium of producers who decided to not have her in their movie. They ambush Camilla on her Mulholland Drive ride in the same way as Camilla set Diane up, bringing her to the party.
Watch for the reprised line "What are you doing? We don't stop here!" by Rita and Diane.
Who gives a key, and why?
- Coco: from Aunt Ruth to Betty...to enter the "dreamworld".
- The Hitman (blue key): To confirm the deal is done.
Who gets the key?
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Rita: in her bag with the hit money. Diane wants to transfer her guilt; there is no way Betty would carry it in the dream.
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Diane: on her coffee table. Probably she retrieved it from somewhere else.
Observations:
Only one key is given in the film. The key that Coco gives to Betty. The hitman doesn't give a key. He *leaves* it for Diane. Moreover Betty doesn't touch Rita's blue key either.
There's a sleight of hand going on here. The viewers are lured to
focusing on the blue keys. But neither is ever "given".
Betty is given the key to Aunt Ruth's apartment because Aunt Ruth is dead,
just as Diane is given another key because Camilla is dead (see clue #10).
So
if the Coco key is a clue, then Coco's relationship with the two main
protagonists needs further examining.
Notice the robe, the ashtray, the coffee cup.
These are chronological narration elements used for time references in the "real time" scenes.
Robe:
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Ruth's: (precious, purple) at Havenhurst, with the note for (Bitsie) Betty. Betty uses it to cover Rita.
Rita is wearing it the first day around. »here
It was almost regal and it was clearly meant for Betty, but only Rita wears it. Betty is never able to put it on. When you look at these clues you begin to see that Diane envied Camilla because she was enjoying the success that Diane had wanted and had been dreaming of since her days in Deep River. -
Rita's: (distinctively red robe with a black collar) on second day during the rehearsal scene with Betty. »here
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Betty's: (hot pink) at rehearsal. »here
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Diane's: (shabby, white) when Diane remembers the flashbacks in her apartment. It looks like a faded version of her dream robe. »here
When Diane is wearing the bathrobe we are in 'realtime' (neighbor scene, suicide), when she is wearing hot pans it's a flashback (couch scene, masturbation).
Related: MD Costumes
Piano ashtray:
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When the piano ashtray is there it is a flashback (love scene on couch with Camilla), when it is gone it's the present (neighbor picking up, Diane alone on couch having flashbacks, suicide).
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The piano ashtray is there with Diane and Camilla on the couch. Diane obviously swapped apartments before ordering the hit on Camilla (respectively prior to the dinner party).
Ashtray with cig butts:
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On the table by the red lamp we see an ashtray filled with butts of filter cigarettes. One of them has a mark of red lips stick. Since Diane is not shown to be a smoker, those butts could be from Camilla or her neighbor.
Related: The ashtray
Coffee cup:
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Diane brews herself a coffee in a cup similar to those at Winkie's. This could be a clue
- to her being employed at a diner (waitress Betty/Diane?) respectively being a kleptomaniac
- a clue to Diane's dream incorporating personal objects. If so, are we to take the hitman scene at Winkie's likewise as fantasy and not based on a real-life event? -
The cup changes into a glass of Whiskey in the couch scene with Camilla.
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At the Ryan Board conference Luigi orders a cup espresso.
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At the pool party Diane sips coffee from a cup that has SOS written on it. This echoes the "help me" cry of Vincenzo Castigliane at the meeting. The cup sports the same colors but different style and pattern as Luigi's espresso cup earlier.
What is felt, realised and gathered at the club Silencio?
- Felt: Love, unreturned love, pain, tears, spasm, loss, fear, compassion.
- Realized: All is an illusion. The Dream wasn't reality. Lies. Hollywood is fake. The dream is over.
- Gathered: Betty gets a Blue Box with a triangular keyhole in her bag.
Did talent alone help Camilla?
Which one?
Blond Camilla Rhodes is pushed by the Castigliane brothers to get the lead in The Sylvia North Story.
Possible interpretation:
The conspiracy is Diane's rationalization for why she never became famous in real life. She believes that she's done everything right, played by the rules, yet outside forces have plotted against her, resulting in her failure. Bottom line, Diane refuses to accept responsibility for losing the lead part.-
Raven-haired Camilla
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Camilla had an affair with the director. She probably used her sex appeal and was willing to sleep around to get ahead. Note the look Coco is throwing over at Camilla and Adam, when Betty said at the dinner party: "Anyway, Camilla got the part", seemingly knowing of how Camilla used to further her career.
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Or did Diane and her money helped too? The assertion here is that the money seen ready to be handed over by Diane to Joe in the Winkie's scene is not a payoff for a contract to kill Camilla, rather it is money paid to Joe to in some way influence the casting of Camilla in a film – starting her off on the road to stardom.
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Note the occurrences surrounding the man behind 'Winkies'.
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Dan meets the face of this God-awful feeling. He dies from an heart attack after seeing the "monster".
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Near the end of the film, after the hit on Camilla is settled at Winkie's, we see the monster again. Only it's not a monster anymore. It's a pathetic bum, stripped of everything, sad and disheveled. We see that he is just one more person transformed into something else by Diane's dream. But wait! The homeless man is a monster in her reality too. He is unleashing the miniatured couple of old people who then drive Diane to commit suicide. Though Diane wished she'd never have seen his face outside of her dream, he has been there all along.
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After Diane's death, we see the monster superimposed on top of the smoke. And then we see his face fade out while Betty's/Diane's face fades in. This last appearance of this "man" is especially instructive because with the connection between his face and Diane's face we are being told that this monster is yet another persona of Diane.
And so we realize that it is not a "man" at all. He is a she.
Where is Aunt Ruth?
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In Diane's dream Aunt Ruth is redeemed and shots a film in Canada. She is letting Diane stay in her apartment.
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In reality, as we learn from Diane at the dinner pool party, Aunt Ruth is dead, but left her an inheritance. Clue? There's a black hat popping up in Aunt Ruth's bedroom, resting on the bureau in the scene where Rita gets undressed. Does is belong to a funeral outfit? Note: There is an old joke in movie business, "acting in Canada" is "being dead".
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Ruth shows off in the Havenhurst apartment right at the end of the dream, after Rita vanishes. She is dressed the same way as she left in the beginning. Possible interpretations:
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It's Aunt Ruth's ghost, somehow interacting with Diane's fantasy in the same way that Louise Bonner and Dan at Winkie's could.
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In her lucid dream state Diane tries to rewind the dream. It has broken down with the disappearance of Betty and Rita. But her mind apparently doesn't want to let go of the fantasy. Its almost like she's picked up the story from the point of aunt Ruth coming back to her apartment for something at the beginning of the film. The message we are being given is that Diane is not looking forward to going back to her real life.
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Diane dreams of her aunt coming home from Canada to find her (Betty) disappeared. Just as in the beginning when Ruth and Betty missed another at Havenhurst, it symbolizes Diane's yearning for her beloved Aunt that can never be resolved because Ruth died before Diane arrived in L.A.
Ruth comes into the room to separate dream from reality. It substantiates for us that there is no blue box on the floor, or in other word that is was a dream, or that the dream is ending. So, her presence is sort inaugurating reality, even if we are still in the dream. Further, if this scene reflects actual reality, then, can we even consider this woman to be Diane's aunt? Aren't we let to believe this apartment is rather owned by somebody else and merely served as a canvas for Diane's dream? It was all... an illusion.
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That final scene is a flashback to the time Aunt Ruth was still living. She is hearing a ghostly disturbance of her own.
The movie is actually placed in the 50s. Betty/Diane is Aunt Ruth in her young years. It's her story. Thus about when Rita opens the blue box Betty disappears. She rematerializes as Aunt Ruth an instant later as to indicate that her dream is over. »more
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The last of David Lynch's clues asks "Where is Aunt Ruth?" and the last scene of the movie presents us with the Blue Haired Woman. Is she Aunt Ruth in her afterlife? »more
And for Alan Shaw's alternate interpretation of the ten clues, go here.
First off, let me say that virtually none of this was discovered on my own. I greatly admire those of you who put in the time and the thought to figure it all out on your own, because as soon as I turned off the TV I went straight to the computer to research. :)
"Like so many others, I thought the movie Mulholland Drive was an inspired work. The power of it does not just emanate from its eerie and mysterious atmosphere, its taste for conspiracy and intrigue, and its poignant love story which ends tragically in betrayal, murder and suicide. The force of the movie comes across in the way most scenes are able to communicate on many different levels at the same time. This, in effect, challenges you to tease apart the significance of the multiple layers if you are to really understand the message at the subtext of the story. And just as the metaphorical structure at the subtext of the story is difficult to grasp, the context of the story at the surface level is also a complicated and puzzling challenge. As in other works by Lynch, there are serious plot twists and shuffled timelines that force the viewer to do some work to decide what the chronological sequence of events in the story really was. But this movie doesn't stop there. Even with a reasonable chronological story line, the logic of the events is still very illusive. The true genius of Mulholland Drive is in the way that it employs an intricate language of symbolism and metaphor that would give even a complex novel a run for its money."
The most popular theory is this:
"Diane Selwyn is a struggling actress in Hollywood. She moved to L.A. from Deep River, Ontario after winning a Jitterbug competition that inspired her to become an actress.
We descend into the pillow at the start of the film from Diane Selwyn's point-of-view. From now, until the moment we see her wake from the bed, Diane is dreaming. She dreams that she is Betty, a fresh-faced actress arriving in Hollywood. She dreams that Rita stumbles into her apartment after an accident, having lost her memory. She dreams that she wows the various assembled showbiz people at her audition. The dream climaxes with the haunting Club Silencio, the disappearance of Betty, and the opening of the blue cube back at Havenhurst.
A knocking on the door awakes Diane from her bed, and she raises herself from her slumber to answer the door. The scenes that follow are intended to illustrate the breakdown of a relationship between Diane and Camilla and subsequent mental collapse of Diane. Tricky thing is that Lynch presents them to us in a non-linear style.
It's up to you to decide the chronological order of these scenes (help here), but the crux of this interpretation is that it is inferred that Diane hires a hitman to kill Camilla. So from this point of view, the flashbacks can be seen as Diane's attempt to justify the murder in her mind, and the dream as an attempt to re-live and re-imagine Diane's life since her arrival in L.A."
That said, here are some other common theories (out of 27 that exist!), divided up into a few different categories.
Dream/Reality
Camila is not dead.
Diane was sexually abused.
Diane didn't kill herself.
Diane was murdered.
Diane had an abortion.
Schizophrenia.
Drug trips.
All Dream
All Real
Metaphysical
Afterlife Theory
Mobius Strip
Parallel Universes
Deal with the Devil.
And that's just some of them. Find more here.
And if you're really willing to put in the time, here's a very well written (and quite long) essay from Alan Shaw.
Stay tuned for a common explanation of Lynch's ten clues!
