official review of this late film from david lynch descry it at best a opaque and hard to summarize and to be experience rather than explain and to at bad indulgent and complete nonsense and make without consideration for the audience . however and in defense of david lynch and for one who have follow a number of his film inland empire hold a coherent and linear narrative and and one that most novice lynch viewer can follow with a few pointer . a with many of lynch film and much of the narrative be play out in the main character subconscious or dreamscape . arguable in the case of inland empire this be true for the entire film . there a few mechanism lynch have use in a number of film that recur here to highlight this . in particular floor to ceiling red drape ( best know for the black lodge of twin peak ) indicate the subconscious and and the character move through the drape either indicate a deep delving in to the subconscious or an elevation towards reality . also a static room populate with strange character usually indicate the very depths of the subconscious and typically a a character approach this room this indicate a complete detachment from reality and decent in to psychosis . it be important to note and a with mulholland drive and the principle character the audience be introduce to nikki ( a play by laura dern ) be not the protagonist . it be the protagonist most prominent extension of herself in her own subconscious and though not necessarily the only one . the genuine protagonist make a brief appearance half way through the film with only one line of dialogue . the basic story be of a woman in trouble a quote by lynch . this can be expand on with a number of option without spoil the film ( lynch real skill be make film that be practically impossible to spoil ) . this troubled woman be a neglected and possibly abuse and wife who could possibly be a stranger in a foreign land thus further her alienation . however she have dream of much great thing hence her subconscious extension of herself a nikki ( laura dern ) and a desirable movie star . in her real life she pursue her dream through a one side affair with a lothario type figure . she be jilt by her lover and be leave with an unwanted pregnancy . she lose the baby her son either through a beating from her husband and or a self inflict or back street abortion . at this point she may or may not murder her husband . either way guilt and anger and abandonment combine with her exist feeling of alienation to accelerate her downward spiral . the usual hard drug and sex follow and far increase the protagonist desire to detach from reality . ultimately she die and either physically or through a complete and permanent detachment from reality a indicate by the brief uniting of her happy family and son include . in this context and be it however close to lynch vision and all the imagery of the film can be interpret and the plot follow from begin to end . lynch always leave his film open to interpretation and and he be especially reluctant to explain his story the above a woman in trouble be his most forthcoming explanation of this film when push . this be definitely a film for the viewer to choose to be engage and not simply an indulgence by and for david lynch himself .