There are only two things that are pure in David Lynch’s world, and those are love and terror. Both cut through the artifice of his films like the brilliant beams of light that illuminate Naomi Watts’ face when her character, Betty — a fresh-faced aspiring actress from Deep River, Ontario — arrives at LAX for the first time at the beginning of Mulholland Drive. Betty is about to learn the truth about Hollywood, a truth that’s darker and more horrifying than she ever could have imagined. So why do people think this is hilarious?
In recent years, complaints from cinephiles about audience members laughing at inappropriate moments during movie screenings have become commonplace. Lynch’s films are particularly notorious for this: I’ve experienced it myself, emerging puzzled and a little irritated after sitting behind a pair of college students who snickered all the way through Mulholland Drive. The movie does have intentionally funny moments, as well as moments of high strangeness so disarming that you can’t help but make a noise that’s somewhere between a gasp and a snort. But it’s definitely not a comedy. So why do people insist on laughing at it?
