City of Dreams (2001) is one of twin Peaks creator David Lynch’s best-known films, and like most of his work, it is a film that leaves no one indifferent and continues to arouse admiration and bewilderment to the same extent.
The passage of time ends up giving it the title of one of the best films of this century, although we cannot speak of unanimous approval.
- Making a synopsis of this film is somewhat complicated by its own structure.
- But it can be said that it all begins when a young woman survives twice to death.
- Because it seems that she was going to be killed while traveling by car when.
- Paradoxically.
- The vehicle suffers an accident.
- Allowing him to survive.
In her purse, there’s only money and a little blue key, but nothing that seems to give a clue about her identity. After the accident, he loses his memory and hides in a house that doesn’t belong to him.
On the other hand, Betty is an aspiring actress to whom her aunt had lent her home in Los Angeles, and upon arriving at the place that will be her new home, she meets the young victim of the accident, who adopts Rita’s name.
From this moment on begins the adventure of discovering who Rita really is, we will reach the most hidden passions of the protagonists and eventually we will witness a disjointed apparition.
From the initial thriller, we move on to a kind of absolute darkness and a descent into hell, a game of appearances and symbols that we will try to decipher.
Cidade Dos Sonhos was supposed to be a series, but the producers were so outraged by the pilot episode that they were forced to turn it into a feature film.
Perhaps the problem is to try to look at it from a linear point of view, to try to reach a final explanation and to understand its integrity rather than simply get carried away by the emotions and sensations that its visualization arouses.
Why do we feel the need to explain everything? In this article we will not attempt to outline an explanation of the film, but will try to get closer to some of its main points.
Cidade dos Sonhos is a real maze, a film that appeals to sleep and can be related to the very structure of our dreams, over the years an attempt has been made to seek an explanation and, although there seems to be more important arguments than others, the truth is that Lynch himself said he preferred not to give an explanation to the film.
At a time when you’re used to too much information, it’s invigorating to see a movie like Cidade dos Sonhos. A film that allows the viewer to respond to what just happened before his eyes.
Art should not always be seen as something that can be explained in words, because sometimes it can involve us on another level and simply awaken in us a certain emotion.
Consider for a moment some pictorial works or even songs or poetry, do not always contain a clear message, nor is it very important, we delight in our emotions, cinema can also create this kind of feeling and should not be considered pure entertainment.
However, the mere fact that Cidade Dos Sonhos leads us to ask ourselves many questions and immerse ourselves in various debates with our surroundings is already a path to entertainment.
Lynch’s filmography usually turns to the dreamlike and, in that sense, we can see the film as a dream. When we dream, the images and stories that appear in our minds are disconnected and, as we dream, they seem to make sense. , when you wake up, it’s hard to try to explain what you’re dreaming about, as well as structure sleep with words.
Cidade dos Sonhos fits perfectly into this logic of dreams and, as in them, there is a certain freedom of interpretation.
When we dream, the people who appear in our dreams are people we’ve already seen, even if we don’t remember them or who play different roles than they do in reality.
Similarly, the spaces in dreams can differ greatly from reality and we can even perform unthinkable actions, so if we try to draw a parallel between Cidade Dos Sonhos and the dream, we are faced with a theory that seems to fit perfectly.
In addition, the film is full of many symbolisms and even takes us to an absolutely revealing place: Clube Silêncio. La scene of the Clube Sil’ncio is one of the most hypnotic in the film and, at the same time, is responsible for marking a before and after.
If until now it seemed that we were seeing a story – or several – but with a more or less linear structure, after the club, we are faced with what appears to be a new film.
This strange place works a bit like the Magic Theatre of O Lobo da Estepe, an airtight work by Hermann Hesse, a meeting place, from where nothing will ever be the same again and that, perhaps, holds the secret of the reality of the protagonist.
In fact, the blue tones predominate in this space and seem to evoke a certain duality that we will soon discover in the protagonist, the blue color alludes to the mind and also to introspection, and we have already seen this color in Rita’s code and now. we also see it in Betty’s box.
Thus, the key will open the box, giving way to a new reality, to a succession of stories that now seem to fit. Everything we’ve seen before takes on a new meaning.
We see a clear display of personality and, thanks to Clube Sil’ncio, we discovered that we have been deceived, all we saw was an illusion, a lie, as well as art, dreams and the film itself.
The magician of the club seems to talk to the protagonists, but also with us as spectators, making us awaken from the dream lynch has put before our eyes.
From the first part of the detective codes, we move on to a darker second, with a disconcerting yet revealing turning point. From the optimism of a young Betty who seems to be living the American dream, we traveled to Diane’s house. decadence and instability, to the duality that seems to take over the protagonist.
Despite all its virtues and successes, there are still critics unable to fully digest this work, there are those who point out that it may be overrated, and that may be true, his performances stand out a lot and it was the film that released Naomi Watts’ career, which we see shining with a masterful performance.
There is no denying that Cidade dos Sonhos represents a real puzzle whose final resolution is quite subjective, an exercise for the viewer that will try to dialogue with the film; in short, a true invitation to our spirit, an illusory puzzle, not without passions and mistakes.
“No group, no group, no group, no group, no?Isn’t it d?Orchestra?. -The city of dreams-