Under the Silver Lake was written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and stars Andrew Garfield and Riley Keogh. It was distributed by A24, a production company known for taking on films that larger studios might pass on. These films tend to be more cult-like or even experimental. Something that might only appeal to a niche audience so it’s curious that films bearing that A24 logo have now garnered a massive following from even casual moviegoers. For many, it appears to be a marker of quality. But this does not precisely apply to critical response for Under the Silver Lake.
The story is a blend of genres: part noir, part stoner comedy, part horror. Director David Robert Mitchell wrote the script quickly on a caffeinated high, with according to lead Andrew Garfield, enough detail and length to rival an Aaron Sorkin script. There is also a satirical element as the protagonist Sam (Garfield) rambles through various parties and hotspots in L.A., each more outlandish and vapider than the last. And Sam himself is no exception. He functions as a sort of millennial Travis Bickle, as loathsome as he is pitiful. But whether he committed the most horrible transgressions is left ambiguous. What is evident is that Sam is an unemployed man-child with a crush on his neighbor Sarah (played by Riley Keogh) that soon turns into an obsession after her very sudden disappearance.
So, the rest of the movie just involves his sort of conspiracy theory-driven odyssey even as he is on the verge of being evicted, and there is some crazed dog killer on the loose that may or may not be him. Inexplicably surreal events occur and it’s not altogether clear whether Sam’s nostalgia is clouding his perception of events. This film gets a lot of flak for its depiction of women, which is only understandable when you consider the vast number of films that also lean overtly into the male gaze, even those that espouse a toxic masculine criticism like Under the Silver Lake.
This writer however agrees with Mitchell that it’s not done in poor taste, since all central and side characters, Sam included, have an unfavorable depiction. And it’s from Sam’s perspective, a misogynist. Leads run dry, people die, Sam gets sprayed by a skunk since apparently Silver Lake is full of them, and he continues his quest, stinking of naive desperation. He believes Sarah and two of her friends have been kidnapped by a famous older celebrity, and that there must be a vast organization run by the elite who are faking their death and disappearing with young escorts.
The plot appears simple and pays homage to other similar narratives and films of a quixotical nature with a modernized spin and many details and clues that keep the audience engaged just as Sam himself searches for Sarah in various ciphers and clues. Several fans of the film have taken to decoding these ciphers and sharing their findings online. This seems a strange takeaway considering the theme of the film does not frame Sam’s obsession with finding hidden meaning in pop culture as healthy.
He searches for clues in movies, music, and other media because his life is in shambles. And the movie contains so many clues for the viewer to also decipher. This I believe is intentional, likening zealous viewers to Sam. This is so interesting because Sam is a repugnant, depraved, objectifying, murderer. Sam is basically all the overly clever movie fanatics who have ever obsessed over a piece of media to the detriment of their own existence. Sam neglects to pay his rent and his car note for this quest. Only when confronted with his misdeeds does he confide in someone about the hurt underpinning his actions. Like everybody on the planet, Sam wants love but instead of doing what he needs to do, he takes the easy way out and chases castles in the air. Except now he knows that’s it all meaningless. There is no answer.
Nevertheless, I too spend too much time overanalyzing this film. There is a draw to Under the Silver Lake that has eluded several of its critics that I don’t think they’ll get even if they play the film backward for proper effect.
The casting is fantastic, first off. When Dakota Johnson could not commit to the role of Sarah, Riley Keogh replaced her and dyed her hair blonde to emphasize the Hitchcock allusion. The film lost out on Tippi Hedren’s granddaughter, but I think any Old Hollywood Nepotism baby would do and Keogh does a decent job for her limited part. In one scene she mimics the last remaining footage of Hollywood’s most revered and most tragic blonde in Something’s Got to Give. This is one of the more surreal moments of the film that is confirmed to be a dream sequence, that Sam only picks up on once Sarah/Marilyn starts barking (This is not the first scene in which women are given canine attributes)
The casting of Andrew Garfield seemed especially inspired to me as well, but not for the reason most people have picked up on. There is one scene in which Sam accidentally gets an issue of the Amazing Spiderman stuck on his hand (An accident, Mitchell claims) that a lot of people have read too much into. Closer to the end of the movie it is revealed that Sam’s ex had achieved a bit of success in the industry and is engaged, meanwhile, he is…decidedly not successful. Admittedly, it is a hyperbolic comparison to make to Garfield and his career post-breakup with Oscar winner Emma Stone. I like to think he related in some small way to the character. I’d also like to think that’s why director David Robert Mitchell sent him the script, but he’s been cryptic on that along with most theories associated with the film, keeping in line with its messaging, I suppose.
Garfield does well in his role. To evoke ambivalence on whether he is the notorious Dog Killer, he plays it in different ways: overtly villainous, clueless, and too dumb to even be considered. It reminds one of Willem Dafoe’s character in American Psycho. The dog killings are incidental to the plot but somehow knowing Sam was responsible for them in addition to all his other deficits would make him a little too hard to stomach. Of course, the script lends a lot of credence to that theory. But you also gather that Sam is just a product of the time and the image-obsessed industry which it is alluded to that Sam works in (or used to, as he is unemployed). In one scene he chillingly assaults some kids for vandalizing his expensive car and in the next, he is dancing like a lovable doofus in an underground club. His menacingly guileless approach to the character works in this neo-noir film where the trauma is not from war but from lack of war, a lack of anything but pop culture and its romanticized depictions of the world.
Sam’s quest is scored by composer Disasterpeace, who worked with Mitchell on his previous movie, It Follows. He chose Disasterpeace for that film for his ability to capture 80s nostalgia, especially video game sound, a medium Disasterpeace was known chiefly for before his collaboration with Mitchell. Similarly in this film, the score has a synth, videogame quality to it which matches the tone. Sam goes to so many places, he does heinous things and meets fantastic people but each of these events doesn’t seem to impact the other. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure game in the style of David Lynch. The score also at points seems very reminiscent of Bernard Herman, which also adds to the Old Hollywood homages that are scattered throughout the film. Sam clearly wants fame. He confesses to someone that he believes the rich and famous know things that ordinary people do not, which mystifies her, and she responds “Yeah, maybe good takeout.” Most of the people around him do not share his complete reverence for the elite even as they work and posture for a taste of stardom. Sam’s friend played by Topher Grace, another great meta casting, says it best: “We crave mystery cause there’s none left.” The sound also is accentuated well in scenes like the Balloon Girl’s dance or when Sam violently cracks an egg in a young vandal's face and most notably in the scenes where the sounds of women have been replaced by raucous dog barks.
The production designer Michael Perry along with Director Mitchell and cinematographer Michael Gioulakis worked together to craft a vision inspired by Cinemascope musicals from the 50s. An interesting choice for a neo-noir but also understandable since music seems to permeate the film, and Sam specifically searches for clues in the lyrics of a popular band. The colorful sets are also juxtaposed against the darkness of some of the scenes and make for a transcendent visual experience. Just the choices of certain shots add to the mystery of the film, the way the camera lingers on something truly absurd, that you just know the director put in there so that he can laugh at the fact that viewers are questioning the significance of panning to a literal pile of excrement. Then there are the overt references to Hollywood films, like the pool scene, and numerous Hitchcock references. There’s a very surreal allusion to Vertigo when a squirrel falls to its death in front of Sam. Sam’s mother calls him often and tells him how much she loves the silent film actress Janet Gaynor and wants him to watch Seventh Heaven starring her. Janet Gaynor also starred in A Star is Born, a film about a rising star and her washed-up boyfriend who loved her but also couldn’t deal with the fact that he was washed-up. Sounds familiar?
The costuming and makeup also match the neo-noir tone of this film. Sam usually dresses casually in tees and jeans, and messy hair. Sarah is always in white like a good Hitchcock Blonde girl is wont to do. His friend played by Topher Grace, known only as Bar Buddy wears a fedora and Hipster specs, and his other friend Allen played by Jimmi Simpson, an eccentric industry type wears a woman’s blouse to a Hollywood party. The various girls he meets are usually in some colorful one-piece with makeup in the vein of Euphoria. In fact, one of the trio girls he meets known as Shooting Stars is played by Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney. Sam meets these girls in a cemetery that is screening a movie they starred in. A scene is shown from the film which bears similarities to a scene from Mitchell’s critically acclaimed first feature The Myth of the American Sleepover. There’s also a fantastic makeup job done with the Songwriter character played by Jeremy Bobb in prosthetics down to his hands to give the appearance of an old, weathered man. The Homeless King looks…as a Homeless King should, complete with a cardboard crown and soot on his face.
The editing is so stylistic, especially in scenes like the Balloon Girl’s dance at the rooftop party. A quick succession of clips like a snapshot shows every inch of her body (which is, of course, covered in balloons) being popped. Some believe the film goes on too long. The runtime after all is a little over two hours, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mitchell cut out a lot more. But I believe every moment of runtime offers insight or at least entertainment.
His writing and direction overall are so engaging. I honestly could write page after page about the references that could be gleaned from the film and the meaning that is suggested. I’ve barely emphasized its humor. It fuels the mind of the Illuminati-obsessed moviegoing crowd who relate to Sam along with the crowd who relate to laughing at people like Sam or the other archetypes featured like the Brides, Jefferson Sevence, and Sarah. Mitchell also creates his own archetypes in mythical representations like the Homeless King and the Owls Kiss, a balletic nude woman with a CGI owl’s head for a face who murders those who come close to cracking the ‘conspiracy’.
One wishes David Robert Mitchell was more vocal about his intentions, but that would also defeat the purpose of the film. I think this is why many critics panned it for its seeming ‘lack of meaning’. It criticizes those who demand and search for meaning in media, but it also celebrates them. It celebrates and satirizes Hollywood and Hollywood folk. Despite its critical and box office failures, I’m certain it will go on to achieve cult status and have a fine life on through DVD and streaming. I’m curious to see what David Robert Mitchell churns out next.
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