naomi watts chases hollywood dreams along mulholland drive a feature story by jeremiah kipp - copyright © 2001 filmcritic . comaustralian actress naomi watts ( tank girl ) portrays a wholesome young starlet eager to fulfill her hollywood dreams in david lynch's latest noir fantasia , mulholland drive . betty elms , fresh off the plane from canada , finds herself temporarily diverted from her earnest , sparkling hopes for movie stardom by the unexpected appearance of rita ( laura elena harring ) , the amnesia-stricken survivor of a traumatic car accident . out of the plum goodness of her heart , surely made of solid gold , betty guides rita on her quest for self-discovery . this path gradually leads them to dark revelations that shake the foundations of their unexpectedly fragile reality . those who have not seen mulholland drive should be advised that our interview with ms . watts ( daughter of a pink floyd sound engineer ) divulges certain details of the plot that first-time viewers may not wish to uncover . though lynch's tapestry suggests multiple interpretations and demands repeated viewings , this interview considers one possibility suggested by ms . watts and implied by several critics in their reviews . our discussion is by no means the only reading , but provides a unique response to the material from an actor translating lynch's abstractions into grounded , character-driven motivation . read no further if you don't want to know the key narrative shift of mulholland drive . 
