Under the Silver Lake
2018
****
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Callie Hernandez, Don McManus, Jeremy Bobb, Riki Lindhome, Zosia Mamet, David Yow, Patrick Fischler
Sam is a 30-something wastrel who lives in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. When his pretty new neighbour disappears, he feels compelled to find out what happened. Everywhere Sam goes, he runs into the same mysterious people and discovers cryptic clues, coded messages, and conspiracy theories. It Follows was a taut horror movie. David Robert Mitchell's follow-up is a long and sprawling Lynchian neo-noir, which can feel aimless, misogynistic, and self-indulgent, but there is something hypnotic about Sam's surreal and totally unpredictable journey down the rabbit hole. Ultimately this is a story about Sam's self-discovery and about Hollywood. The film looks and sounds great, and Andrew Garfield gives a great performance in the lead.
