OVERLAY REPORT

In David Lynch’s *Mulholland Drive* (2001), the main character—played by Naomi Watts—exists in two distinct psychological states: the idealized dream persona **Betty Elms** and the tragic reality of **Diane Selwyn**. Because the film’s narrative is split, her goals and obstacles differ significantly between these two layers. ### **1. The Dream: Betty Elms** In the first two-thirds of the film, Diane is dreaming a fantasy version of her life. * **Primary Goal:** To become a "great actress" in Hollywood and to solve the mystery of "Rita" (the amnesiac woman she finds in her apartment). * **Specific Obstacles:** * **The Mystery of Identity:** Betty’s progress is hindered by the fact that Rita has no memory and carries a purse full of cash and a mysterious blue key. This leads them on a "Nancy Drew" style investigation through the seedier parts of L.A. * **Industry "Conspiracy":** In Betty’s dream, she is an incredible talent (evidenced by her powerhouse audition), but she doesn't get the part because of a shadowy mafia-like organization forcing director Adam Kesher to cast a different woman ("This is the girl"). * **The Unravelling of Logic:** As the dream nears its end, the obstacle becomes the collapse of the fantasy itself. At **Club Silencio**, Betty faces the realization that her world is an illusion (*"No hay banda"*—there is no band), and she can no longer sustain the lie she has created to hide from her reality. ### **2. The Reality: Diane Selwyn** The final third of the film reveals the "real" Diane, a struggling, bitter actress in a state of mental collapse. * **Primary Goal:** Originally, her goal was professional stardom and the exclusive romantic love of **Camilla Rhodes**. After failing at both, her goal shifts to a desperate, vengeful act: hiring a hitman to kill Camilla to end her own suffering. * **Specific Obstacles:** * **Professional Rejection:** Diane moved to L.A. after winning a jitterbug contest, but her career stalled. A specific obstacle was losing the lead role in *The Sylvia North Story* to Camilla. While Camilla became a star, Diane was relegated to bit parts, often secured only through Camilla’s pity. * **Romantic Betrayal & Jealousy:** Diane is deeply in love with Camilla, but Camilla is non-committal and eventually leaves her for director Adam Kesher. The "engagement party" on Mulholland Drive is a pivotal scene where Diane’s obstacles are laid bare: she has to watch Camilla flaunt her new relationship and social status while Diane sits humiliated. * **Crushing Guilt and Hallucinations:** Once the murder is carried out (confirmed by the blue key on her table), Diane’s own mind becomes her greatest obstacle. She is haunted by the **"old couple"** (who represent her initial naive hopes) and the terrifying **figure behind Winkie’s**, which embodies the rotting reality of her choices. These psychological manifestations eventually drive her to suicide. ### **Summary of the Goal-Obstacle Conflict** The film's central tragedy is that Diane’s goals in reality were blocked by her **lack of talent** (relative to the industry's cruelty) and **unrequited love**. To cope, she creates a dream world where these obstacles are transformed: her professional failure is blamed on a **mob conspiracy** rather than her own inadequacy, and her lost lover is transformed into a **vulnerable, dependent amnesiac** who needs her. Ultimately, the specific detail of the **"blue box"** serves as the bridge that forces Diane to face the obstacles she tried to dream away.