O Mistério de Silver Lake

My inclination is to reward a film that is original, a novelty. "Under the Silver Lake" certainly deserves credit for that, despite its numerous references to films that have gone before.

Andrew Garfield plays the central role of Sam, a 33-year-old with no visible means of support. He has only days to come up with the back rent he owes, but he doesn't devise a plan to pay the landlord, he continues doing what he always does. He sits on his poolside balcony and watches the women. He engages in fanciful daydreams about cosmic conspiracies. He tries to avoid the subject of his finances.

The story that unfolds is a personal quest of sorts. He is Alice chasing the white rabbit down a rabbit hole populated with improbable coincidences, whimsical oddities, and a blonde whose location is the Holy Grail. Along the way, Sam dashes from one "clue" to another, discovering tenuous connections that somehow link together, to form what?

When it is done, we might ask ourselves: what did Sam learn? And what did he find? And does it all make sense? But director/writer David Robert Mitchell offers no simple answers. He seems to be saying that it is enough to ride on his chimerical carousel. Take what you will from the journey and appreciate the sights along the way.

He gives us a richly populated world, styled a la Hitchcock or De Palma. Credit Disasterpeace for a wonderful score .

Garfield sets the tone for the entire film, and the other actors feel in-tune.

This is not a film for every taste, and I would prefer that some story lines were not left dangling. But my inclination is to reward a film that is original, a novelty.

This movie was actually pretty interesting and kept me engrossed from the beginning. However there was a lot of stuff that wasn't explained and was left up for interpretation. Just gave me an uneasy feeling the whole time, but I think that was the point. I'd imagine that you'd need multiple viewings to "get" it, which I have not done yet. If you like creepy, weird, nutty thrillers then this is for you.

Finally released in my neck of the woods, A24's Under the Silver Lake starts off 2019 with a bang; an ambitious, labyrinthine, and transporting treat for all human senses. Its colors exquisite, its music delightfully old-school, and its story wonderfully bizarre and original, I've a feeling I already have one of my entries on my 2019 list set.

It starts with the young and aimless L. A. resident Sam (Andrew Garfield), who sees a mysterious woman played by Riley Keough at the apartment complex swimming pool. Although he finds a friend and maybe a lover in the woman, he later finds that she's disappeared without trace alongside her flatmates. Wanting to get to the bottom of this sudden departure, Sam finds out more than he expected, including the woman's connection with the death of a local millionaire, a recent series of dog killings, a peculiar indie band called Jesus & The Brides of Dracula, a "Homeless King", and other things that seem to eerily correspond with the plot of a zine he's been reading.

The side characters are many but they all leave an impression. We meet the adorable but strange Balloon Girl (Grace van Patten, niece of Dick), an actress known as The Actress (Riki Lindhome), Sam's conspiracy nut friend (Patrick Fischler), another friend (Jimmi Simpson) with his head oft in the clouds, a hipster friend known simply as Man at Bar (Topher Grace), and many more. Some are given cameos before they become important to Sam's quest but they remain entertaining throughout.

The director is David Robert Mitchell of It Follows and the composer is Disasterpiece, who provided the Carpenter-inspired synths for that very same film (I recall not being too hot on his music in that film but I've changed my mind). Like It Follows, this movie has an old-fashioned feel, albeit in its own ways.

Characters in the film prefer to hear their music on vinyl, play their games on a Nintendo Entertainment System, and get their porn from Playboy. Someone categorized this film as "hipster noir" and I can sort of see why.

This is an especially great film if you're into mysteries, urban legends, and conspiracy theories. It touches on everything from creatures said to lurk around Los Angeles at night, to secret shelters, to messages hidden within our music, to the idea that all of said music - whether it is rebellious or conformist, regardless of generation - was all masterminded by one person to shape our culture. On top of that is the directing and camera work; the clever, often Wes Anderson-like compositions as well as the long takes that involve many actors, extras and locations at once.

Under the Silver Lake is mystifying, to be sure, and some may be disappointed at its lack of answers. However, it is an original (yet classical) and at times mind-blowing film, even to those who aren't exactly conspiracy theorists. Those who end up liking it, as per my estimation, will end up REALLY liking it.

Quite a different experience, which is hard to say about films in recent years. Takes a while to get going but worth the wait

My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library. The DVD box doesn't give away much, "A delirious fever dream about one man's search for the truth behind mysterious crimes, murders, and disappearances in his East L.A. neighborhood."

The movie is a homage to 1950s film noir, and even the music was composed to evoke that feeling. Andrew Garfield is Sam, about to get evicted from his apartment for lack of payment, and about to have his car repossessed. But he doesn't seem to be in any rush to get work. He is only interested in finding out why a pretty neighbor disappeared suddenly.

Silver Lake is a community outside L.A., just east of Hollywood. There is also a reservoir there, which plays a role in the mystery. Frankly when it was over neither my wife nor I could explain a story in what we saw, but the style is so captivating that we kept watching.

I enjoyed it, my wife less so. It is not the type of movie everyone will enjoy.