Mulholland Drive : My interpretation (SPOILERS)

My interpretation (SPOILERS)

So I just watched this movie earlier today, and like I'm sure most people were upon first viewing, I'm a little overwhelmed with all the details. I've had a quick poke around the internet and understand that the general consensus hinges on the idea that the majority of the film is a dream, but I've stopped looking any deeper because I had a totally different interpretation. This is probably full of holes but I just wanted to share the conclusion I came to after watching it for the first time.

In a nutshell, my conclusion was that Betty didn't really exist, but was Camilla's hallucination brought on by the trauma of the accident. In her amnesiac state, her hallucination looked like Diane because it was a fractured part of her memory, perhaps out of guilt for the way she had treated her. Pretty much everything else plays out from there, with the events shown after the opening of the box happening at the start.

This way, the body Camilla finds is that of Diane, having shot herself in a state of madness brought on by the guilt of ordering her death. The opening of the box is the very end of the film, and represents the return of her memories, hence Betty's disappearance.

Of course there's a whole bunch of stuff this doesn't explain, but I think sometimes the consensus can be formed from something just as simple, and all the other pieces made to fit. I've only seen the film once so I'm not going to go into any deep analysis, but I'm curious whether any seasoned fans of the film could consider this view and decide if it has any merit.


PS: This is what part of the alphabet would look like if the letters Q and R were eliminated.

Re: My interpretation (SPOILERS)

Well, that is an interesting interpretation, but here's a thing I think you should consider: if Betty is Camilla's hallucination, why can she interact with other people? There are scenes with Betty where Camilla/Rita is not even around.

And I don't think Adam's storyline would really fit in this interpretation: Adam is going to get married to Camilla Rhodes, then she has the accident. Meanwhile, Adam is trying to get a new lead actress for his film. There is this other Camilla Rhodes whom Adam doesn't want to cast, but is forced to by the cowboy and others.

Wouldn't Adam find it strange that the other woman has the same name as his fiancée? How would forcing the other Camilla to get the lead part in Sylvia North Story be relevant to the rest of the film? What purpose would Adam's storyline have? Or Betty's casting?


This way, the body Camilla finds is that of Diane, having shot herself in a state of madness brought on by the guilt of ordering her death. The opening of the box is the very end of the film, and represents the return of her memories, hence Betty's disappearance.

I like this idea, but I think the part when Rita and Betty find the body is more likely a premonition that Diane has in her dream and the opening of the box represents Diane's realization (in the dream) of what she has done (which she is actively trying to deny in her dream). After that, the innocent dream version of herself can no longer exist, and "it's time to wake up".

Re: My interpretation (SPOILERS)

The interactions with other people work in a 'Fight Club' kind of way, but ultimately it's all her. I don't think there's ever a scene in which both of them are seen to definitely exist independently of each other, though of course if such a scene does exist we can either take it to disprove this interpretation entirely, or just accept that in Lynch's world nothing is ever as it seems.

The Adam storyline however does make sense if you consider one huge possibility - that the scenes with Adam take place chronologically before he's even met Camilla, and some scenes with Betty are actually Diane.

Take the scene in which Betty goes to her audition as a great example. Imagine instead this is an early flashback, it is Diane auditioning for a part, and wowing the people there. She's taken through to a set where she meets Adam for the first time, and sees Camilla's audition. Diane would go on to audition but lose the part to Camilla, because we've seen Adam pressured into choosing her whether he likes it or not. The other scenes with Adam take place before this, he doesn't react to Camilla's name because it's the first time he's ever heard it. Their romance blossoms after she has been cast. Given the way Betty/Diane and Adam look at each other, I think there is even a possibility of an attraction there as well, to muddy the water further. Given her audition, I don't think Diane is strictly lesbian and instead bisexual.

These are fairly scattered thoughts, like I said I only saw it for the first time yesterday, but this view makes most of the stuff add up. The hitman killing for the black book would be to get the contact details he needs to set up Camilla's murder, perhaps? It's only the scene near the start with the therapist and the bum that really doesn't seem to fit, but as I said before I'm very interested to know what others make of this angle.


PS: This is what part of the alphabet would look like if the letters Q and R were eliminated.

Re: My interpretation (SPOILERS)


I don't think there's ever a scene in which both of them are seen to definitely exist independently of each other
A good point. But there's also nothing to definitely suggest that they don't.


The other scenes with Adam take place before this, he doesn't react to Camilla's name because it's the first time he's ever heard it. Their romance blossoms after she has been cast.
Why would Adam ever fall in love with her after that? And why would she be played by a different actress in the audition scene? Especially since both actors are present in the party scene at the end.


Given the way Betty/Diane and Adam look at each other, I think there is even a possibility of an attraction there as well, to muddy the water further. Given her audition, I don't think Diane is strictly lesbian and instead bisexual.
I agree. But given how Adam looks at Diane, why would she fall for Camilla (the girl he was forced to cast, according to this interpretation) instead? I think Diane was attracted to Adam, so she dreamed of him being attracted to her, even though that was not the case.


but this view makes most of the stuff add up
Quite many views do.


The hitman killing for the black book would be to get the contact details he needs to set up Camilla's murder, perhaps?
I think those could be acquired with a lot less effort. But for me (and the dream theory) that scene has been the most difficult to make fit the whole. There are hints that Diane may have resorted to prostitution to finance her efforts of becoming an actress, and the "black book" is by some interpretation(s) thought to be a book containing numbers of some call girls, including Diane.


It's only the scene near the start with the therapist and the bum that really doesn't seem to fit
That one seems to fit the dream theory quite nicely, though.

I'm not really buying into your theory, but I think it still has merit. And I'm not perfectly sure if I agree with the generally accepted dream theory completely either. Even though I've seen the film somewhat around 20 times.

Re: My interpretation (SPOILERS)


Well, that is an interesting interpretation, but here's a thing I think you should consider: if Betty is Camilla's hallucination, why can she interact with other people? There are scenes with Betty where Camilla/Rita is not even around.

There are plenty of scenes in the Diane's dream where Betty isn't around. Lots of them, in fact.

Brevity is the soul of wit.
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