The ending of the movie Mulholland Dr

SPOILERS: The ending of Mulholland Dr

SPOILERS

The ending of Mulholland Dr

There's a GREAT DEAL going on here and there are a bunch of better/longer/far more in-depth explanations out there, but basically ... halfway through the movie, the protagonist — played by Naomi Watts — wakes up in bed. From here on it, it's reality. Everything before was a dream.

She’s a failed actress, a junkie, depressed, not the woman in her dream, which with reality has interfered. Her conscience was reminding her of the terrible things she’s done, which accounts for many of the strange things that happen. At the end, she's essentially taken to hell as a punishment. 

This is a non-linear film, and remembering that helps. The truth is Diane is the real Naomi Watts, who has hired a hitman to kill Camila.

It’s interesting that Inland Empire — his film released in 2006 — also depicts a Hollywood actress ending destitute and on the street, and that Lost Highway, his 1997 film, has similar themes with a conscience trying to force someone to own up to their mistakes.

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