Under the Silver Lake presents a surreal, at times horrifying world that is maybe not too far removed from the one we live in. Really it's not so much subverting the noir genre (which was my expectation going into the film), but magnifying it, and throwing in some surreal images and humor. I guess that makes me sound a bit pretentious... Really, it's a classic noir story: down on his luck guy finds himself caught up in a web of violence and deceit after the disappearance of his beautiful neighbor. Just as in a Raymond Chandler novel, the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles is on full display as our protagonist Sam (Andrew Garfield) looks for answers: first to the disappearance of Sarah (Riley Keough, real-life granddaughter of Elvis), and second to the conspiracy that emerges along the way.
The film doesn't shy away from the ickiness of it all. This includes Garfield's character, who really isn't an especially upstanding guy, although he's certainly not evil, and the film gradually reveals his moral compass. Part of what makes the film so good is the complexity the script and Garfield bring to Sam. What begins as a lustful infatuation evolves into genuine curiosity, then concern, and finally an obsessive pursuit for the truth. Sam's character at his core doesn't really change, but the mystery he happens upon shakes him out of both his physical and emotional lethargy. The added touch I really loved, that also subverts the genre a bit, is the fact that seemingly nearly everything everywhere is a clue.
My appreciation for this film is owed to my love of classic noir literature and films, as well as a fairly healthy appreciation for the popular surrealism of someone like David Lynch. This isn't Twin Peaks-level surreal, but if you hate surrealism, or have little interest in the noir genre, this might not be the film for you. As it is, it's enormously entertaining and just delightfully weird, as long as you are open to going where the film wants to take you.
3.5/4
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