David Lynch is undoubtedly one of the most important filmmakers of the current era, helming films such as “The Elephant Man” and “Blue Velvet” as well as co-creating the highly acclaimed television series “Twin Peaks.” The director is also known for including shocking plot twists and surprising moments in his movies, and “Mulholland Drive” is no exception. Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, and Justin Theroux, the film largely follows a young actress who befriends a woman suffering from amnesia but also involves a series of other characters with their own stories.
Like many of Lynch’s films, “Mulholland Drive” makes use of a surrealist style that leaves it open to interpretation from viewers. This means that much of the narrative can be confusing to the audience. By the end of “Mulholland Drive,” it emerges that the amnesiac known as Betty is actually not a real person but rather an invention from Watts’ character who she embodies. Like any great mystery, it entices anyone watching it into trying to figure out exactly what is going on but that is not an easy task.
Although it isn’t completely clear what leads up to the bizarre ending of the film and its revelations about the two main characters, some suggest that everything is a dream of feverish hallucination up until the point when Diane opens up the blue box and then seemingly dies by suicide after shooting herself.
As we established with “Mulholland Drive,” David Lynch is a director that often includes surreal plot twists to not only surprise viewers but also to purposely muddle the plot. In Lynch’s 1997 film “Lost Highway,” Bill Pullman plays Fred Mason, a musician whose life is turned upside down when he and his wife discover mysterious VHS tapes being left outside their home. Before long, the movie suddenly transitions to Fred suddenly finding himself imprisoned for the murder of his wife and then transforming into a young car mechanic called Pete.
Piecing together the story of “Lost Highway” is not an easy task. Especially when you take into account the fact that Lynch prefers each viewer to have their own interpretations and states that his films have no definite meaning. Even with that in mind, “Lost Highway” is still a very confusing experience. Ultimately, it isn’t clear what connects Fred and Pete with his wife Renee or what has happened to Fred.
Lynch did shed some light on the twist, stating that Fred’s transformation into Pete was part of the character’s imagination as it tried to cope with the terrible things he had done. Having killed his wife out of jealousy believing she has had an affair, Peter’s effortless and passionate love life is an escape from Fred’s own tortured mind.
Tom Cruise is better known for his roles in action films like “Mission Impossible” and “Top Gun” more than anything else. But Cruise has had roles in a number of thought-provoking sci-fi thrillers, including “Minority Report” and “Vanilla Sky,” and the latter has led to some raised eyebrows from viewers.
Cruise plays David Aames, a wealthy playboy figure who is disfigured in a car crash. Events soon spiral out of control, and David is imprisoned for suffocating his ex-girlfriend who has suddenly returned to life. However, a twist near the end reveals that all the action shown so far has been in David’s head as part of a lucid dream he is experiencing while in cryogenic stasis. He was put into this suspended sleep following a real-life crash until doctors had the technology to heal his injuries.
To leave this dream-like world, David must jump from the top of a skyscraper, conquering his fears and choosing to return to reality. Yet, it is not known whether this is the actual truth, as there are multiple interpretations to the film’s ending. It is entirely possible that the whole experience, including his cryogenic stasis, is imagined — or that he is experiencing the events after being put into a coma from the crash.
Despite being made with a tremendously small budget, “Primer” has developed a reputation as one of the best time-travel movies ever made. The film follows two engineers, Aaron and Abe, who accidentally discover a way of traveling through time. They begin to use this method to earn large amounts of money by investing in stocks they know will rise in value. Of course, things don’t continue as originally intended and the consequences of their actions soon catch up with them.
A surprising twist happens after the halfway point of the film when it becomes clear that not everything the audience has seen so far is as it seems. Noises in Aaron’s attic are revealed to be an earlier version of the character who has been drugged and captured by his future self. Meanwhile, Abe and Aaron both have fail-safes going back further through time, allowing them to manipulate events in the future.
The entire premise of “Primer” is confusing and it was created in the knowledge viewers would likely need to watch it several times to understand it. Director and writer Shane Carruth wanted to make time travel as realistic and low-tech as possible, resulting in action that requires detailed explanations and diagrams. But it makes for a thrilling and mystifying experience that almost everyone who watches it struggles to fully comprehend.
This content was originally published here.
