Almost since its 2001 release, “Mulholland Drive” has been hailed as not only a great film but also as the greatest of the 21st century so far. The latest study of David Lynch’s surreal masterwork comes from Leigh Singer, whose video essay “Mulholland Dr., the Essential Lynch” was recently published by Fandor.
“What if it’s more than that?” the video asks of the film’s status as the 21st century’s standard-bearer. “What if it’s the essence and summation of David Lynch’s entire body of work?” Singer spends the next five or so minutes arguing just that, taking a brief tour through Lynch’s filmography — from “Eraserhead” and “Blue Velvet” to “Wild at Heart” and “Lost Highway” — to show that all those other films, while great in their own right, were mere prelude to “Mulholland Drive.”
Lynch has only made one feature film in the 16 years since, 2006’s “Inland Empire;” his latest work, the long-awaited “Twin Peaks” revival, was just announced as part of the Cannes Film Festival lineup. That will be quite the homecoming, as “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” likewise premiered on the Croisette — and was roundly rejected.