Under The Silver Lake Is An Underwatched A24 Gem And I Need To Talk About It

Every cinephile loves A24 movies, right? The independent company has become the de facto darling when it comes to the kinds of movies that film fans just love to gush about.  

I’m talking flicks like Moonlight, Ex Machina (which I’m still pissed off didn’t get nominated for Best Picture), Midsommar, etc. And that’s just movies with “M’s” in their titles! In fact, just last year, the company scored another W when their movie, Everything Everywhere All At Once (which you still need to watch if you haven’t already) won Best Picture at the Oscars.      

But, not every A24 film gets the same love and attention. Case in point, the 2018 Andrew Garfield mystery film, Under the Silver Lake, which I just happened to find by accident when scrolling through MAX. After watching it, I must say that it’s an underwatched A24 gem, and honestly, I NEED to talk about it. Here’s why. 

It’s Just As Weird And Trippy As Everything Everywhere All At Once, And Maybe Even Weirder 

When I heard that MAX was getting a slew of A24 films, I made sure to go there right away with the intention of re-watching Hereditary, since I was in the mood to go to sleep with the lights on again. But, once I actually got to MAX, I was interested in Under the Silver Lake, as I’d never even heard of it before.   

So, I clicked on it, and I was immediately drawn in by its weirdness, as the first image we see is somebody writing, “Beware The Dog Killer” on a window. Now, let me just reiterate that I was going into this movie blind, and I had no idea that I would find Andrew Garfield narrowing his eyes at this message while he was standing in line. 

The thing is, this seemingly bizarre message is only a hint of the actual weirdness and trippiness that this film has to offer, which reminded me of Everything Everywhere All At Once in that I legitimately had no idea where this movie was going. (In a good way!) But unlike Everything Everywhere All At Once, which had the whole multiverse aspect baked into its plot, this movie goes into strange territories that really didn’t make any sense upon a first viewing. 

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Essentially, Under the Silver Lake is a mystery of a missing person that spirals into a web of conspiracies. Our protagonist is a stoner played by Andrew Garfield, who on a chance encounter gets invited to smoke with his neighbor and becomes smitten by her.

Unfortunately, when he tries to see her the next day, he finds that she and her roommates have cleared out completely. Bummed out, Garfield’s character searches for her, only to get entangled in a bizarre plot that involves everything from a songwriter crafting songs all the way from the 1800s, to people shacking up in bomb shelters in the hopes of ascending to a higher power.  

Yeah…it’s Weird with a capital W, but the good kind of weird. I mean, at least I thought so. Critics were pretty mixed about it upon its release, but honestly, it’s the kind of movie where you either really get into its groove, or it totally just falls flat for you.    

In a lot of ways, it kind of reminds me of Skinamarink in that some people will be utterly enraptured by it, while others will just be bored to tears. Under the Silver Lake is really that kind of movie, and for me, I loved it.     

Its Performances Are To Die For 

I once wrote that Andrew Garfield is my favorite Spider-Man, and now, he’s also my new favorite version of a stoner.    

He plays a character named Sam who seems very familiar to me, as his fascinations with conspiracy theories remind me of a pothead I actually know. I won’t say his name, but whenever he smokes up, he just believes the weirdest and wildest stuff. And the thing is, he always seems to be perpetually high, which is what Garfield is like in this movie. He just nails this role.

But the other actors are phenomenal as well. You have Sam’s neighbor, Sarah (Riley Keough) who isn’t in the movie long, but every second she’s in it leaves an impression. You have Topher Grace, who is there, and then he’s not for considerable portions of the movie, but is still interesting as Sam’s friend at the bar. And then you have all of the bizarre characters who say their lines with straight faces, even though what they’re saying is sheer lunacy. 

In a lot of ways, Under the Silver Lake feels like Mulholland Drive-lite, which is one of the greatest compliments I think I can give it, since Mulholland Drive is one of the greatest horror movies ever. Oh, and about that…   

This Movie Deftly Balances Between Being A Dark Drama And A Wicked Black Comedy 

It’s hard to define what kind of movie Under the Silver Lake even is. At times, it’s laugh-out-loud funny, while at other times, it’s really dark and even creepy. I think a lot of this is because you’re not really sure how much Sam’s character is actually experiencing, or how much of it is part of him being in his drugged state all the time. Because Sam often seems like he’s not even sure what to believe himself, so he makes for a very unreliable narrator. 

At the same time, the dark undertones – and this film gets really dark – often have comical underpinnings to them, so you’re left wondering, should I be laughing at what I just saw, or should I be horrified? I mean, out of context, it’s pretty funny, but within the context of what’s going on, it’s really not funny at all, and kind of grim. 

It’s that uncertainty of whether I should be laughing or hiding beneath the covers that constantly kept me invested, and knowing that I was watching something special. 

It Rewards Multiple Viewings 

I have since watched Under the Silver Lake twice, and the second time opened up the film even more for me. Most notably, it got me more invested in the conspiracy theories, as I was kind of just following along the first time I watched it. But upon my second viewing, I found hints and details that connect the story in even more ways that I wouldn’t imagine. 

And of course, after watching the movie, I did what I always do, which was consult Wikipedia. I always do this just to make sure that I didn’t miss anything, and what I found there is that there are other fans of this film who have REALLY invested their time into this movie, trying to find hints and clues in everything from the graffiti, to the timing of fireworks. 

Now, going into the movie a THIRD time, I’m going to be on the lookout for even more ways the film connects events in the story, which I always love. It’s probably one of the most rewatchable movies I can think of, especially since the first viewing left me with more questions than answers. 

The Mystery At Its Heart Is Both Frustrating, But Also Rewarding At The Same Time 

Lastly, let me just tell you something, and this relates to my last point, but upon the first time that I watched this movie, I was left with my jaw open, thinking, Wait…is that how it ends? Now, normally I am not fond of this kind of ending. And I’m not talking about ambiguous endings, either. I love ambiguous endings, like the way The Sopranos ended. That’s not what I mean here. 

In fact – and I’m not going to spoil the ending for you – but the story satisfactorily ties up any loose ends. And yet…it doesn’t. I mean, it does, and it doesn’t. Do you understand why that’s frustrating? 

By the end of the film, I still have several things I wonder about, but again, I think that adds to the movie rather than takes away from it, because any film that leaves me thinking about it long after I’ve watched it (and makes me want to watch it again), has succeeded in my book. 

Honestly, as much as I love A24 movies, I think Under the Silver Lake is one of the few I have actually given multiple viewings to, which is really saying something. 

But, what do you think? Have you seen this underwatched gem? For more news on all things A24-related, be sure to swing around here often.