Movie Genres and Mulholland Drive

As humans we love to analyze and then categorize items by their similarities and

movies are no different, consequently grouping movies by genre gives us an expectation

of what a film will be before it is viewed. Genres can be identified by the

components of a film including setting, characters and theme therefore there are

many different types of film genres. Mulholland Drive is not a typical film that can be

placed into the major genres so it falls into a sub-genre class. The film has some

characteristics of a black comedy with the casting of Billy Ray Cyrus, a one hit wonder,

and the scene where the director discusses the cowboy has a dark humor. Yet it also has

the feel of a horror movie or a film noir if you focus on the lighting but it does not show

the standards of these genres. The film Mulholland Drive is a hybrid movie that should be

grouped into the category of a Psychological Thriller

Psychological refers to matters of the human mind whether it is based in reality or in the recesses of our subconscious. This movie takes the viewer to the most obsessive and disturbing parts of human nature through imagery and content. The main character, Betty, is innocent during her first scenes in the film. For example, she is naïve when she finds Rita in her aunt’s apartment and subsequently when she and Rita find the large amount of money in her purse. She does not see the danger in the situation. She is more than happy to help Rita in any way even though she is warned by the neighbor that things are awry. Throughout the film you see Betty change from a girl who wants to be a famous actress into a bitter woman who realizes that Hollywood can be a lurid place. Due to her bitterness she bec...

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...lm written in the voice of a woman while, Donnie Darko represents the uncertainty of a suspense film in a male voice. On the other hand Mulholland Drive is a female’s point of view written by a male voice which gives the effect of a psychological thriller. This allows the viewer to follow Betty and by seeing all of her dreams we realize her psychological shortcomings that create her obsession with Rita, the lead actress. We see in the beginning of the film a hint of what is to come by the scene at Winkie’s. It tells us that the movie is portrayed in a dream state. From that moment we follow Betty’s journey from the naïve girl fascinated by Los Angeles to the psychotic, obsessed woman who is crushed by the film industry and the people who make movies. The psychological thriller ends when Betty is haunted to death by the elderly people who encouraged her dreams.