“Love is to give what you don’t have to someone who doesn’t exist.”
– Jacques Lacan
“No hay banda! There is no band! Il n’est pas de orquestra! It is… an illusion!”
Mulholland Drive is considered, by many, to be David Lynch’s masterpiece. Jean Baudrillard, a prominent postmodern philosopher seems to be one who agrees with this sentiment. Baudrillard recounted this favorable opinion in his iconoclastic book, The Conspiracy of Art. This comment actually was a brief counterpoint as to why The Matrix was a fundamental misunderstanding between the new problem of simulation and the arch-classical Platonic treatment presented in Plato’s Allegory of the cave. But that is for a different post.
“I had a dream about this place.”
So, what is it that makes Mulholland Drive a magnum opus and philosophical standout? The film delves masterfully into the intricate depths of illusion and identity in a way that so perfectly fits within it’s Hollywood setting. Inside its nonlinear storyline and surreal visuals, the movie prompts viewers to ponder the essence of reality through the self and subconscious. By examining these concepts through the perspectives of Jean Baudrillard’s idea of hyperreality and Jacques Lacan’s notions on identity we can uncover the philosophical foundations of this cinematic masterpiece.
Jean Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality outlined in his work Simulacra and Simulation suggests that in today’s world the distinction between reality and simulation has blurred. Baudrillard states, “(It is) useless to dream of a revelation through form because the medium and the real are now in a single nebula whose truth is indecipherable.” In Mulholland Drive Lynch skillfully weaves a tale where dreams merge with reality forming a hyperreal realm that challenges viewers perceptions of what’s authentic and how we can, if at all, piece together or extract the surreal from the hyperreal from the real.
“It’ll be just like in the movies. Pretending to be somebody else.”
The main character, Betty Elms arrives in Los Angeles aspiring for fame. Betty then becomes tangled in a mystery and Hollywood conspiracy that blurs her sense of self. The Hollywood backdrop transforms into a hyperreal domain mirroring a version of the dream where desires and realities constantly shift. Lynch’s depiction of Hollywood, as a place where illusions are created and consumed aligns with Baudrillard’s belief that in a hyperreal world simulations take precedence over reality, thus blurring the lines between what is real and what is fake.
There are some postmodern implications that form out of this such as the idea that there is no truth, hyperreality becomes more real than real, and that there is nothing underneath illusion, merely more copies or illusions. When we shift to the “real” version of Betty, whose name is Diane, we see that she is confronted or rather haunted by the smiling faces of Irene and her husband who are perhaps her parents or grandparents. In any case they are clear representations of the approval Diane seeks and in which she projects they seek for her, to become a movie star. This is paired with Diane’s paranoid hyperreality in which a much larger conspiracy must be going on within the Hollywood system that is preventing all her dreams from coming true. These are both yet again more illusions underneath the illusion which consumes the true reality and self of our main character.
Exploring the concept of the self further through Jacques Lacan’s Mirror Stage may shed light on the shattered identities portrayed in Mulholland Drive. During the Mirror Stage a child begins to realize its independence. This signifies the beginning of a journey of understanding oneself in relation to others—such, as male and female. Lacan explains that the image seen in the mirror symbolizes the “Ideal I”—an independent version of oneself that the child strives to achieve but cannot fully grasp internally. Lacan implies that this pursuit is likely to be incomplete leading to feelings of anxiety, neurosis and even psychosis. Lacan suggests that ones sense of self (Diane) is formed through a process of misinterpretation and fragmentation (Betty). This notion is vividly showcased in the films dual narrative structure and the existence of doppelgängers within its storyline.
“This is the girl.”
Betty and Diane’s characters symbolize different facets of a single mind. Betty embodies an image juxtaposed with Diane’s perspective capturing Lacan’s idea of a fragmented self. The film’s narrative breaks down and mirrors the protagonist’s unraveling. This echoes Lacan’s belief that one’s self-perception’s may be inherently unstable and always evolving.
The pivotal scene, at Club Silencio encapsulates this theme as well as the blue box which, once unlocked, transports the character or causes the character to confront the illusion that has been created (seemingly by the man behind Winkie’s diner). At Club Silencio the performers acts are exposed as illusions underscoring the idea that our perception of reality is often a constructed façade. This particular scenario mirrors the idea put forth by Lacan that our sense of self is constructed in a manner comprising a sequence of images and symbols that conceal the emptiness of our authentic selves.
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Conclusion
In the movie Mulholland Drive Lynch intricately intertwines elements of illusion and identity that deeply resonates with the philosophies of Baudrillard and Lacan. The films surreal storytelling and its examination of fragmentation challenge viewers to contemplate the essence of reality and individuality.
The dream sequences and the seamless transitions between personas serve as a reflection on the hyperreal essence of life where distinctions between what is real and what is simulated becomes increasingly blurred. Similarly, the depiction of shattered identities in the film mirrors Lacan’s understanding of the instability within psychology and our perpetual pursuit for a cohesive sense of self.
Through these concepts Mulholland Drive transcends the orthodoxy narrative structure. Instead, it presents a nuanced exploration into the human psyche using the medium of film as a multifaceted tool – Time jumps, blurred imagery, stilted acting juxtaposed with tremendous acting, and subversion of expectations– to present this exploration. It encourages audiences to ponder our interpretations of reality and individuality, urging us to navigate through the maze of illusions, within our minds.
Reading List
Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard
Ecrits by Jacques Lacan
