Reviewed by: Greg Mueller

Greg's Score:
8.75

Plot/Story

9

Characters

7

Acting

9

Cinematography

10

Production Design

10

Soundtrack

10

Execution

8

Emotional Impact

7


Review:

Do you enjoy movies that require multiple viewings and days to unpack or do you just really love seeing Andrew Garfield's ass? If either of those are your thing (not judging) Under the Sliver Lake over delivers. I was expecting a much different movie. It's labeled all over as a comedy but I was getting a Sci-Fi vibe. Honestly, the less you know, the better the experience. Under the Silver Lake in its simplest ideas is a missing person story that is much more National Treasure style mystery than Sherlock Holmes, with a complicated main character, Sam, that isn't particularly likable. I have issues with the mounds of unanswered and discarded questions and a few minor realism issues (he can't afford rent but he can hire prostitutes and buy groceries at least twice a week), but I can easily put those aside because of how complex and stylized this film is. With any other director (or a less talented writer) I'm confident that I'd find Under the Silver Lake pretentious and indulgent. The reviews are mixed at best and I'd attribute that to mismarketing (although stateside there hasn't been much marketing at all, it never even made it to theaters in my area; it just popped up on Vudu) like Hereditary suffered from. This isn't a fun LA teen mystery movie. This isn't Paper Towns. Under the Silver Lake is a highly symbolic and deep movie that is much more conspiracy theory clue hunting with listening to songs backward and overlapping maps than what the trailers would lead one to expect. If you are willing to take a step back and over evaluate everything scene by scene and then rewatch it looking for things in the background or little notes you wouldn't have even thought to pay attention to before. Under the Silver Lake is clearly not for everyone, although I'm sure most can recognize the great acting (Garfield especially), cinematography, and soundtrack (loved seeing my favorite band, Silversun Pickups, pop up). Whether or not Under the Silver Lake will work for you essentially comes down to if you can enjoy a film that has to marinate to be appreciated (unlike, for example, Rampage or Fast and the Furious).

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