10 Movie Openings You're Not Supposed To Understand

David Lynch has built a career and a sturdy brand over almost 50 years based on the notion of ambiguity and, well, keeping audiences thoroughly confused - yet in a way that left them keen to return for more.

Mulholland Drive is a film that begs repeat viewings and intensive consideration, and though there are several prominent theories for what Lynch's mesmeric fever dream of a neo-noir actually means, its most confounding scene arguably arrives at the very beginning.

If you might expect Lynch to kick things off in typically gloomy fashion, he actually goes quite the opposite - well, sort of.

Mulholland Drive begins with a peppy, upbeat sequence of numerous couples dancing the Jitterbug, set against a digital purple backdrop. After a minute or so, the visual is blended into footage of Diane (Naomi Watts) on stage as she receives a standing ovation.

After this, Lynch transitions into a more typically Lynchian, Angelo Badalamenti-scored titles sequence, while we as viewers are wondering what on Earth that disconcertingly energetic dance opening actually meant.

Close to the end of the film, we do hear Diane explain that she won a Jitterbug contest which resulted in her wanting to act, yet it's incredibly easy for viewers to miss this relevance, especially if they don't know what the Jitterbug looks like.

But Lynch loves to leave his audience tied up in knots trying to make sense of everything in his gorgeously surreal visions, and his fans know exactly what they're getting themselves into.