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Over the past decade, A24 has produced dozens of movies that are popular with critics and fans alike, including Everything and Everywhere All at Once (Kwan, Daniel & Scheinert, Daniel; 2022), Lady Bird (Gerwig, Gerta; 2017), and Midsommar (Aster, Ari; 2019).
They have created a reputation for creating unique movies that give a voice to independent filmmakers. However, not every movie produced by A24 has become a critical or commercial success; in fact, David Robert Mitchell’s film Under the Silver Lake (2018), was so polarizing and bizarre that it was nearly swept under the rug. Despite definitely having a strange plot, Under the Silver Lake offers a scathing critique of Hollywood and elitist culture packaged in an unsettling mystery and psychological thriller.
What Happens In Under The Silver Lake 2018?
Set while a mysterious dog killer runs loose in Los Angeles, Under the Silver Lake follows Sam (Andrew Garfield), an aimless man in his mid-thirties who spends his days spying on his neighbors, despite being behind on rent and living under the looming threat of eviction. He grows infatuated with Sarah (Riley Keough), a neighbor who lives in his apartment complex.
When Sarah and her roommates suddenly disappear, Sam embarks on a quest across Los Angeles to find her. He ends up uncovering a conspiracy about Hollywood elites going far deeper than he ever imagined. Under the Silver Lake is the third film directed by David Robert Mitchell; its predecessor was the wildly successful It Follows (2014), which was credited with revitalizing the horror genre. (( Crow, David. “It Follows: A Homecoming for ’80s Horror.” Den of Geek. 22 October 2018. )) With a strong cast and director, it seemed like it was destined to be a success. So why did it flop?
When Silver Lake premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, it was met with mixed reviews, with many criticizing the film’s overly convoluted plot, the unlikable main character, and its depiction of misogyny and the male gaze. (( DeFazio, Emilie. “Drowning in the Male Gaze: Women’s Bodies ‘Under the Silver Lake.’” Scream Queens. 27 January 2020. )).
Because of this, the theatrical release was continually delayed, with it eventually being released straight to video on demand. Despite its rocky beginning, the film has since developed a cult following, with fans theorizing and trying to decipher hidden codes found in the film.
The Plot Thickens…
Under the Silver Lake is riddled with codes and plot lines that lead nowhere. An entire Subreddit exists full of devoted fans who have found ciphers hidden in the graffiti on the walls, coffee shop menus, and TVs in the background. Characters wear T-shirts with a code saying “BWAR DOG KILR” (Beware the Dog Killer). There is the continual threat of the dog killer, a woman with the face of an owl who murders people in the night, a bird squawking an unintelligible message, a mysterious sniper, and more random plot points that are never explained or dropped entirely from the story halfway through.
These convoluted and seemingly meaningless plot points have been a source of frustration for many viewers. However, all of these loose ends serve a greater purpose when thinking about the theme of the film. While searching for Sarah, Sam follows a group of women across LA and into elite Hollywood parties. He meets the band “Jesus and the Brides of Dracula” who are rumored to have snuck hidden messages into the lyrics of their songs. He also learns of a mansion owned by a reclusive old man, known only as “The Songwriter.”
Sam visits The Songwriter’s mansion where he claims to have written every popular song ever to exist, including “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the Nirvana song written by Sam’s idol, Kurt Cobain. The Songwriter taunts Sam and comments on culture as a whole, by saying:
“That’s pop culture, isn’t it? It floats away like tissue paper. I blow my nose, I find a used Kleenex, I recycle it, and there is your wedding song… I created so many of the things that you care about. The songs that give your life purpose and joy, when you were fifteen and rebelling, you were rebelling to my music. There is no rebellion, only me earning a paycheck.”
Mitchell, David Robert. Dir. Under the Silver Lake. 2018.
After hearing The Songwriter gloat about manipulating generations of people, Sam bashes his head in with a guitar in a gruesome and bloody scene. Even though it is an extreme reaction, the audience can understand Sam’s anger. He feels used and betrayed, and audiences should feel the same.
The scene comments on how people put so much weight and meaning into pop culture, when in fact musicians and other artists are just trying to take advantage of the population to make a profit.
Throughout the film, we see Sam idolizing celebrities and elite culture. The film itself takes place in Los Angeles, the center of music, film, and television. This scene highlights the misplaced trust people put in Hollywood and celebrities(( Baino, Joanis. “Are Parasocial Relationships Healthy?” The Daily Fandom. 1 November 2020. )); people can relate to a song and think that they, therefore, relate to the artist, when in fact it is just being mass produced to make money off of a profitable market.
Rebellion For Profit
Fresh off of his encounter with The Songwriter, Sam confronts the lead singer of Jesus and the Brides of Dracula for not writing his own lyrics (as all of their hit songs were actually written by The Songwriter). Sam once again brutally attacks someone, as he beats the lead singer up, trying to get answers.
Why is this in particular so significant? The band Jesus and the Brides of Dracula tries to be edgy just for the sake of being different. The band name itself is offensive, as they are sexualizing/exploiting a religious figure. Throughout the movie, their most popular song “Turning Teeth” plays in the background, so even though they are trying to appear indie and exclusive, their music is mainstream. The band’s controversial/rebellious image is just a facade, as The Songwriter has written all their hits and put codes into them, while they perform the songs and never care to ask about the hidden messages.
Jesus and the Brides of Dracula exemplify how rebellion in pop culture is seen as profitable. Their songs have no significance to the band and are instead just another vessel for taking advantage of audiences and profiting off of trends.
Why Search For Meaning?
Fans have spent so much time agonizing over a film that has directly insulted fans in general, but why? Why is there such a fascination with conspiracy theories and a desire to find hidden messages and mysteries where there might not be mysteries?
Sam himself asks this question when he says, “Why do we just assume that all this entertainment and open information beaming all over the place, all the time, at every single home on the planet is exactly what we’re told it is? Maybe there are people out there who are more important than us, more powerful and wealthier than us, that are communicating things and seeing things in the world that are meant only for them, and not for us. I think it’s ridiculous to assume that media has just one purpose, right?”
This question is almost directly answered for the audience when Sam’s friend (Topher Grace), says:
“A hundred years ago, any moron could wander into the woods and look behind a rock and discover some cool new thing. Not anymore. Where’s the mystery that makes everything worthwhile? We crave mystery, ’cause there’s none left.”
Mitchell, David Robert. Dir. Under the Silver Lake. 2018.
This quote accentuates the main theme of the film. Sam, as well as the audience, desperately searches for hidden meaning in everyday life because of the overwhelming desire to be special. It’s creating mystery just for the sake of it, in order to try and bring more meaning to life. The film does not necessarily critique or ridicule those who overanalyze things, but rather shows how people can become easily become obsessive, especially when life can seem monotonous and devoid of meaning.
Hollywood’s “Hidden” Misogyny
One of the most popular criticisms of Under the Silver Lake is that it relies heavily on the male gaze, as there are many long gratuitous shots with female nudity and the camera focusing on their bodies. Sam himself is extremely misogynist and either completely idolizes women or sees them as sexual objects. He makes it his life’s mission to save Sarah, even though he only briefly met her once.
He has a sexual relationship with nearly every other female character and hallucinates women barking at him anytime they hold power over him, thus dehumanizing them. In another scene a group of women, dressed almost identically, head to an “audition” taking place in a garage and hosted by a man in his underwear. However, this film doesn’t want to glorify misogyny. Rather, it exposes Hollywood for its exploitation of women but offers a bleak outlook.
As previously mentioned, prior to Under the Silver Lake, David Robert Mitchell directed It Follows (2014), which was produced by the Weinstein Company and was released before the news officially broke about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse. Some have theorized that Under the Silver Lake was Mitchell’s attempt to come to terms with his role in making a lot of money for and bringing success to a terrible person and perpetuating abuse in Hollywood.(( The A24 Movie They Don’t Want You to See. YouTube, uploaded by meeptop. 28 May 2021. )). This would further explain the film’s grim outlook on Hollywood and the theory that all media is controlled by a small group of elites.
Final Verdict — Is It A Mess Or Is It Genius?
Is Under the Silver Lake shallow and unfinished, or do the unfinished plotlines reveal a hidden brilliance? In a way, the answer is yes to both. The film explores how pop culture and art have a profound impact on normal people, while the artists and producers only care about money and exploiting their audience. People have a need to find meaning in everyday things just to feel special, and fans have devoted hours trying to demystify this movie, yet it deliberately says that there is no hidden meaning, and there is one, it really does not matter.
The main criticism that the film is misogynistic and relies on the male gaze is also acknowledged, as it serves to expose corruption in Hollywood and for the director to come to terms with his own role in perpetuating the abuse of women in Hollywood.
Under the Silver Lake has been called “La La Land but for sad people,”(( Under the Silver Lake. Tiktok, uploaded by moivesaretherapy. 11 July 2022. )) and this description seems to ring the truest out of all others. The film creates a dreamlike image of LA and Hollywood, without shying away from also showing exploitation and abuse.
