The one very important thing that 97% of the explanations fail to mention at all is in the first 3 minuites of the film. Directly after the dancing intro scene, there is a scene with the camera decending into a red pillow.
When the "cowboy" wakes her up, the pillow from the beginnig scene, and yes, the bed also, are the smae.
This fact completely rules out any "post suicidal" fantacy and sets the plot in total order. There is a beginning to the dream and an ending, symbolized by the bed and pillow.
Secondley, the key is in the dream, which means she saw it before she went to sleep, either by the hitman or on her table, which is essentially irrelevant. What the important thing is, that the dream happens after the party, where she decides to kill her friend, and after she makes the hit.
Every single person in the dream is either at the party, at the cafe (the next day) or represents a part of her mind. The man in the wheelchair directs things from behind the scenes, and she controls the direction of her dreams the same way. The mud lady only represents evil and depression.
Another thing that is overlooked, or even seen wrongly is the scene with the director catching his wife cheating. At the party he states "I got the pool, she got the poolman." This is a common expression, in reality we have no idea what happened with his wife.
We also have no idea how Camilla was killed. She only drempt the limo because she was in it and was nervous while there.
Every other part of the movie is explained in this. Yes, there are many details I do not have time to mention, but they all make sense to the plot. There are no parts left open for interpretation. I am saying this as an author. He ties every end.
I hoped this helps without you reading that horrible thesis from a few days ago. It isn't that complicated buddy. David Lynch puts symbolism in all of his movies, but adds it and makes them strange for atmosphere and nothing else.
peace

Your explanation fixes the problem with the thesis. No, it did not happen at the momnet od death. She only saw herself dead in the dream, but it is not the same as when she kills herself at the end. the sheets are different, and her hair and face are different. She is considering suicide in the dream, and eventually comits it. That is the end of the movie for real.

It took me a second, but that explains it 100%. Thnx

I completely agree that it was not a post death dream. On the linear notes of the DVD it lists 10 things to look for to help unlock the thriller. One of the clues listed says to take a mental note of the robe. At the end of the movie when she kills herself she is still wearing the robe directly contradicting her dream where she sees herself dead without the robe on. Am I reading into this correctly? or is there some other significant reason as to why we should take a mental note of the robe?

When it says to "pay attention to the robe," it is so you can better understand her relation in her head to her friend. She gives the robe to her when she "rescues" her in the beginning, thereby attributing her real traits to her friend. This is a way for her to mentally "switch" places in the dream.

Pay attention to the robe means this . . .


When Diane first wakes from her dream, she is wearing the Robe. Then we see several scenes take place in between. . . then the very last scene she is wearing the Robe again. This indicates that every scene BETWEEN when she first wakes up and when she kills herself are flashbacks. In otherwords, she wakes up, reminisces everything that has happened, and then kills herself.

The Robe . . . scene, scene, scene, scene . . . The Robe.

Everything between the 2 robe scenes are memories, they are flashbacks.