Highlights
Under the Silver Lake is a complex and polarizing film that divides audiences with its intricate storytelling and cryptic details.
Fans of the film appreciate its thought-provoking complexity, deriving pleasure from delving into its multiple dimensions and unraveling hidden hints. The movie delves into themes such as surveillance, self-deception, and the peril of succumbing to an escapist mindset, cautioning against using external circumstances as a scapegoat for personal decisions.
Under the Silver Lake, A24's controversial film, has sparked intense debate for understandable reasons. Directed by David Robert Mitchell, known for his work on It Follows, the movie presents a complex and intricately woven neo-noir mystery. Whether it is hailed as an enduring masterpiece, open to endless analysis and repeat viewings, or dismissed as a meaningless catastrophe, opinions vary greatly. Interestingly, both supporters and critics of Under the Silver Lake present equally compelling arguments.
One point of consensus among both fans and detractors is that the film is challenging to comprehend. This element, however, greatly appeals to fans who relish the opportunity to delve into the enigmatic narrative and discover hidden details. With its cryptic storytelling and deliberate misdirection, the complexity of Under the Silver Lake is a widely agreed upon aspect of the film.
What is Under the Silver Lake about?
In Under the Silver Lake, the story revolves around Sam, portrayed by Andrew Garfield, an unemployed and disillusioned resident of Los Angeles who drifts aimlessly through life. Sam shows little interest in finding employment or catching up on his overdue rent. Instead, he spends his time spying on women nearby, fixating on symbols and codes within the upper class, and smoking incessantly. When he is caught spying on his new neighbor, Sarah, she invites him over to her apartment and Sam becomes infatuated with her. However, when Sam wakes up the next morning, he discovers that Sarah and her roommates have mysteriously vanished overnight. Determined to uncover the truth, Sam embarks on a quest to discover what happened to her. His investigation leads him to believe that she was killed in a car accident involving a local billionaire, intensifying his obsession to uncover the full story.
The film highlights the modern fear of living in a surveillance state, showcasing how those who fear it the most are often active participants in its existence. Sam constantly fears being followed, openly expressing his concerns to those around him long before his search for Sarah. Plagued by hallucinations, he imagines shadowy figures stalking him at night, including a naked woman wearing an owl mask who seems to chase him, as well as a friend who is a conspiracy theorist. Interestingly, despite his own anxieties about being surveilled, Sam has no qualms about being a stalker himself. He is willing to follow suspicious individuals throughout the day in his quest for information, but also engages in voyeurism by observing women, even using a drone to spy on a woman in her own home. The movie effectively conveys the message that everyone is constantly afraid of being watched, oblivious to the fact that they themselves are active participants in this voyeuristic behavior.
Under the Silver Lake's Ending, Explained
:However, the heart of Under the Silver Lake lies in the perils of becoming lost in a fantasy. Sam becomes consumed with finding a girl he only spent a single day with, traveling all over the city, causing harm to others, and jeopardizing his own safety in pursuit of a quest that he believes holds significance. Meanwhile, his real life crumbles around him. Neglecting to make payments, he loses both his car and his apartment. Instead of taking action to prevent these losses, he continuously fabricates stories to cover up the truth. When questioned about his car, he claims it is being repaired. And when asked about work, a topic that arises frequently, he insists that everything is going well, even to his loving mother. Essentially, Sam disregards his actual problems and immerses himself in fictional challenges, which he believes he can conquer. In reality, however, only he determines what constitutes a triumph.
Sam's dwindling sanity drives him to piece together the scattered evidence he has come across. He analyzes the chess move engraved on a bracelet that belonged to the deceased billionaire, adorned with the acronym 'NPM' and a series of numbers. Through careful deduction, Sam discovers that 'NPM' refers to Nintendo Power Magazine, a publication he happens to own numerous copies of. Interestingly, he finds a perfect match between the Legend of Zelda map found on specific numbered pages and a map of Los Angeles from a cereal box. This particular cereal box was owned by a local zine author who had a belief that the map held a significant secret. Through decoding a cipher from a pop song, Sam successfully determines which areas of the map represent designated spaces on a grid.
The combination of seemingly harmless and absurd clues appears to be futile. However, to everyone's astonishment, Sam's detective skills prove successful and guide him to the solution. He stumbles upon a hut occupied by an elderly man and three young women whom he coerces for information. They disclose their participation in a clandestine ritual where wealthy men choose three wives and entomb themselves underground, reminiscent of Egyptian pharaohs. The group, consisting of Sarah and her roommates, is trapped in an underground tomb with limited provisions for only six months. They believe that within that timeframe, their souls will ascend to a form of paradise. The man reveals that the billionaire involved in the car accident faked his own death to partake in this ritual.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Sam contacts Sarah and explains that he has been searching for her. Sarah calmly acknowledges that escape is not an option and suggests making the best of their circumstances. Sam agrees with her perspective, and after a brief conversation, they bid each other farewell. However, a mysterious figure known as the Homeless King threatens Sam into silence. In defeat, Sam returns home in silence, realizing that all he can do is witness the arrival of the police, who are ready to evict him from his apartment.
Sam technically accomplished his mission, but he departs empty-handed. His relentless pursuit of Sarah provided an escape from his own dismal existence, allowing him to perceive himself as a heroic figure sacrificing everything to save a distressed woman. In truth, he is a unsettling and pitiful individual, chasing after someone who does not desire salvation, hoping that she could, in turn, rescue him. He deludes himself into believing that their drug-induced encounter held profound significance, and reuniting with Sarah would restore his happiness. With that hope shattered, he is left with nothing but the ruins of his actual life.
Despite failing to bring Sarah back, Sam also falls short of his aspiration to expose the manipulation of society as he had anticipated. Sam fixates on symbols and hidden messages within media and popular culture, theorizing that these signs are cryptic signals exclusively discernible to the privileged few. However, instead of uncovering an intricately orchestrated brainwashing apparatus, Sam encounters something even he can perceive as sheer madness. There is no utopia awaiting the wealthy individuals and the women they have confined underground. Each group that isolates themselves in a tomb is inevitably destined for death by starvation, with absolutely no chance of rescue. The sole distinction between Sam and those higher up on the social hierarchy is their ability to actualize their absurd delusions.
Under the Silver Lake has gained a devoted group of fans who believe that the movie contains hidden clues and codes waiting to be deciphered. This is all meant to be enjoyable, as long as it is not taken too seriously. However, it is worth noting that the film itself seems to caution against getting too wrapped up in such pursuits. It is alarmingly effortless for individuals to fall into the trap of blaming their surroundings for their thoughts and lifestyles, instead of taking responsibility for their own actions. When someone believes that secret foes surround them, it can become their sole focus.