Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Film details
Crime · Drama · Mystery · David Robert Mitchell · 2h 20min
Synopsis
Young and disenchanted Sam meets a mysterious and beautiful woman who's swimming in his building's pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy.
Verdict
Eccentric thriller with frequent nudity, disturbing violence, and abundant profanity.
In-depth analysis
Under the Silver Lake is a neo-noir thriller that immerses the viewer in the Los Angeles of the marginalized, where Sam, an unemployed young man, embarks on a far-fetched investigation after the disappearance of an attractive neighbor. The film unravels the glossy surface of pop culture to expose an undercurrent of paranoia, hidden symbolism, and urban decay. Andrew Garfield masterfully embodies an anti-hero trapped in inertia, surrounded by dead dogs, hedonistic parties, and enigmatic clues that allude to Hollywood conspiracies.
On a formal level, it stands out for its retro aesthetic, evocative soundtrack, and hypnotic rhythm, which captures existential tedium with surgical precision. However, the central conflict is moral and spiritual: the story portrays a rootless world where casual sex, drugs, and the idolatry of the ephemeral replace the true human longing for connection and transcendence. Violence erupts graphically—severed heads, sudden deaths—and female nudity is recurrent, with semi-nude women in voyeuristic contexts. Foul language peppers dialogues and monologues, reinforcing the cynical tone.
There is no clear redemption; the film leaves Sam in his labyrinth, inviting reflection on modern meaninglessness without offering luminous exits. For parents, it demands maturity: it shows the disorder without celebrating it, but its sensory crudeness makes it unsuitable for young people. It subtly celebrates human curiosity, even as it envelops it in darkness.