2019’s Under the
Silver Lake, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell .
Starring Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Riki Lindhome, David
Yow, Jimmi Simpson, Patrick Fischler, Don McManus, Topher Grace, Grace Van
Patten, Jeremy Bobb, Callie Hernandez, Summer Bishill, and Deborah Geffner.
What is it about?
Taking place in
current day Los Angeles, unemployed slacker Sam (Andrew Garfield) one day meets
his fetching neighbour, Sarah (Riley Keough). They somewhat hit it off, so Sam
is taken aback when he discovers the next day that she moved out abruptly.
Resolved to solving the mystery of where she went and why, Sam meanders around
a bizarre combination of environments and characters to track down clues, and
decipher symbols and codes. Encountering a range of phenomena such as cultists,
Nintendo Power archives, conspiracy
theories, comic book synergy, pirates, subliminal messages, and more, it all
heads to a conclusion regarding whether the universe has meaning or not, and if
Sam will find a way to pay his landlord his monthly rent.
Why is it worth seeing?
Although there is some debate about the listing
of designated cult classics (Rocky Horror
Picture Show, The Big Lebowski,
and The Room being a few), in my mind
there is a strong contender for an addition to the list- Under the Silver Lake. It has all the ingredients of a quirky,
flawed masterpiece, from its unique spin on its subject matter (think Chinatown if Jeffrey Lebowski or Doc
Sportello were on the case), to its surreal left turns, to its existential
laments on a crude universe’s plans for us. Conversations about whether or not
the film is hilarious (or just in bad taste) will inspire many an impassioned
argument- just the sort of fervor cult classics thrive on.
There was a fair amount of anticipation for writer/director David Robert Mitchell’s next project, after his last film, 2014’s It Follows, gave the horror world a morbid shot in the arm. Possessing a fantastic idea framed by a great sense of tone and sustained suspense, Mitchell’s visuals (inspired by photographer Gregory Crewdson) were very effective for the genre. At times, the feeling for Lake is similar, in its alienating sense of inevitability, but Mitchell also makes a compelling thriller, and as mentioned previously, a shaggy dog comedy. It’s impressive how he pulls it all together. As Andrew Garfield (shedding every bit of charisma he may have had from the Spider Man series) ineptly gallops around L.A (as multi faceted a locale as it gets, as usual), he is simultaneously thwarted and galvanized by a dense cloud of meaning- at least to somebody, maybe just not him.
There was a fair amount of anticipation for writer/director David Robert Mitchell’s next project, after his last film, 2014’s It Follows, gave the horror world a morbid shot in the arm. Possessing a fantastic idea framed by a great sense of tone and sustained suspense, Mitchell’s visuals (inspired by photographer Gregory Crewdson) were very effective for the genre. At times, the feeling for Lake is similar, in its alienating sense of inevitability, but Mitchell also makes a compelling thriller, and as mentioned previously, a shaggy dog comedy. It’s impressive how he pulls it all together. As Andrew Garfield (shedding every bit of charisma he may have had from the Spider Man series) ineptly gallops around L.A (as multi faceted a locale as it gets, as usual), he is simultaneously thwarted and galvanized by a dense cloud of meaning- at least to somebody, maybe just not him.
Mitchell never allows a crackerjack drum tight mystery to fully play out- he’d
rather cut to a random bit of toilet humour or introduce yet another character
who’s happy to point out how much Garfield’s not-sleuth character stinks.
Critics of the film will point out that it is completely preoccupied with
objectifying women, a fair charge if you take a film about a deadbeat slacker
who’s obsessed with symbols that come in video game magazines to solve
mysteries about cults looking into “ascension” seriously. For everyone else,
it’s another opportunity for Garfield to indifferently wonder aloud about the
world’s circumstances. Another fair point is how terrible of a person
Garfield’s character is- his Sam makes no bones about his hatred of employment,
of homeless people that he’s dangerously close to emulating, of beating up
naughty children, and to sowing his wild oats with pretty much anything that
moves. In other words, he’s like a lot of young males, adrift in their lives,
wondering about their role in an indifferent universe, trapped in class warfare
that deems its citizens powerless. His struggles to find meaning, in something, make him an ideal candidate
for post millennial representation for young males. Who else wishes they could
actually understand how the universe works instead of working another day for
the man?
Somewhat similar to Wolf of Wall Street’s sense of excess, the film’s length when considering the level of seriousness can make it drag at times. But perhaps that’s because you were so busy guffawing at yet another blown opportunity to investigate god-knows-what, you missed what random and bizarre thing happened next. Or you were sucked into solving a mystery, of some kind- that tends to stick around in your mind, like something a skunk would spray. Something to think about when the rewatch with a gang of friends happens to celebrate its greatness, we all want it that way.
Somewhat similar to Wolf of Wall Street’s sense of excess, the film’s length when considering the level of seriousness can make it drag at times. But perhaps that’s because you were so busy guffawing at yet another blown opportunity to investigate god-knows-what, you missed what random and bizarre thing happened next. Or you were sucked into solving a mystery, of some kind- that tends to stick around in your mind, like something a skunk would spray. Something to think about when the rewatch with a gang of friends happens to celebrate its greatness, we all want it that way.
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