Only the capricious talent of David Lynch could manage to produce a noirish thriller that is so confusing and yet spellbinding at the same time.

The film opens as it continues, shrouded in mystery. A rich, attractive woman (raven-haired beauty and former Ms USA, Laura Elena Harring) is ordered out of her limo at gunpoint by her chauffeur on a dark LA hillside. Who is she? Why the gun? Before an explanation is forthcoming, drag-racing teens collide head-on with the stationary limo. The woman staggers from the wreckage.

When Betty (Naomi Watts), a wholesome, Canadian blonde looking for fame and fortune, arrives at her aunt's LA flat she discovers the mystery woman showering in the bathroom. The woman says she is Rita, but when it becomes clear that she can't really remember who she is and where the wads of cash and a strange blue key in her handbag come from, Betty excitedly rises to the challenge of resolving the mystery together.

Vaguely intertwined into the narrative are some unusual subplots, about a sharp young Hollywood director (Justin Theroux) who is being leaned on by underworld heavies to recast his leading lady and a grungey hitman who is also having a bad day.

Many Lynch traits, particularly Twin Peaks era, can be found in this eccentric tale: sexy, virtually unknown female leads; a soundtrack that combines eerie, otherworldly songs and retro pop; the eye for the burlesque; the paucity of words; supernatural hokum; the twisted sense of humour.

The film was initially made as a pilot for a television series, which helps explain why the story is so convoluted. But Lynch also likes to play with characters' identities and the relationship between art, dream and reality to the point where you don't know where you are.

If you are one of those people who likes to have everything spelled out clearly, this will infuriate you. But if you are happy to just let the film wash over you, then this is a cinematic feast for the senses. Just don't expect to understand it.

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