From the dazzling imagination that brought you “It Follows,” “Under the Silver Lake” stars Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough in a delirious fever dream about one man’s search for the truth behind the mysterious crimes, murders, and disappearances in his East L.A. neighborhood.
Packed with symbolism and metaphors offering a statement about modern life and society, “Under the Silver Lake” lays out a winding tale of personal discovery for our hero Sam, played by Andrew Garfield. Everybody asks Sam how work is going though he’s unemployed. His life constitutes an unending exercise in escapism as he faces eviction from an apartment filled with old movie posters. He constantly fields telephone calls from a mother obsessed with Janet Gaynor, the first recipient of the Best Actress Academy Award in 1927.
The adventure begins in earnest when a mysterious femme fatale, courtesy of Riley Keough, meets Sam and then disappears, leading him on his hunt along the streets and landmarks of East LA. Best known for the critically praised “It Follows,” director David Robert Mitchell heaps layer upon layer in this offbeat mystery. Its frequent references to Hollywood and the entertainment industry add to the fun.
Topher Grace as Sam’s bar buddy shows up periodically, dispending eccentric but strangely sage analysis of the world around them. Sam thinks his life was going to amount to something, or that he would accomplish something important. His buddy assures him that he’s merely experiencing Narcissism and Entitlement 101. “Everybody thinks that way,” he says.
After Sam gets sprayed by a skunk, he appears a marked man in more ways than one. A casual girlfriend comments, “I’ll be back when the smell goes away,” implying he is damaged goods. Later in an unintentionally revealing moment, Sam remarks that there are a lot of skunks in Los Angeles, especially on the east side.
It’s often hard to draw the distinction between Sam’s real life and his bizarre dreams. The Homeless King (David Yow), who regularly appears without warning, reminds Sam that he doesn’t have a good smell about him. Jeremy Bobb plays the crazed songwriter, who inserts cryptic messages coded in his lyrics. He tells Sam that art and culture is a sham and that he writes songs simply to earn a cynical paycheck.
Clues abound like a proverbial treasure map. Patrick Fischler draws comics that foresee impending doom while noting the subliminal messages contained in print advertising. Don McManus explains the absurdity of life with the assurance of an existential guru.
Confusing, yet oddly compelling with no pat answers, “Under the Silver Lake” conjures up an unconventional millennial neo-noir that will delight some and exasperate others. As Sam says matter-of-factly, “Everybody dies,” in perhaps the only certainty Mitchell’s narrative can provide viewers.
Now available on Digital and On Demand and on Blu-ray™ and DVD June 18th
