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| Scene from Under the Silver Lake |
In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for years to come.
Under the Silver Lake
Released: April 19, 2019
Release Number: 82
Directed By: David Robert Mitchell
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace
Plot: Sam, a disenchanted young man, finds a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment's pool one night. The next morning, she disappears. Sam sets off across LA to find her, and along the way, he uncovers a conspiracy far more bizarre.
During the release of Native Son, there were often complaints about A24 failing to do a proper marketing campaign for the film. Maybe it was because they threw the attention onto HBO (who aired the movie), but many read it as a lack of confidence that the studio had in their own film. With that said, it couldn't compare to the boondoggle that was to come with their next film Under the Silver Lake. Few titles have had the trajectory of this seriocomic conspiracy thriller, which went from a notorious Cannes screening to a yearlong delay of its theatrical (and eventual streaming) release. Despite its endless problems and divided reviews, it's a quintessential cult movie from a studio that caters to the weirder side of cinema, and few films have been this fascinating and frustrating in their entire career. It may be a black sheep in their catalog, but it only makes its gradual success all the more rewarding.
By all accounts, Under the Silver Lake should've been more of a hit. For starters, director David Robert Mitchell was coming off of the 2015 horror movie It Follows. Many consider it crucial to the rise of prestigious horror. With that said, the misinterpretations of that film could allude to how confusing and cryptic his next movie would be, taking ambiguity to new heights. Similarly, Andrew Garfield was in the middle of a career resurgence. In the years leading up to his involvement, he had earned a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars for Hacksaw Ridge as well as a Tony Award for Angels in America. Mitchell, a self-proclaimed fan, was eager to work with him on something. Even if it wasn't written directly for Garfield, it was written for an actor like him, proving how much of a clear vision he had with this project.
The story came from Mitchell's personal experience living in Los Angeles, CA for a few years. He formed a love-hate relationship with the city, finding it to be a cross-section of so many ideas that included wealth and culture gaps. Considering that film noir has long been a California movie genre, it made sense that he would create a contemporary take that took a paranoid look at the culture. He would also dump endless clues into the framework of the story, rewarding viewers who would pause the movie and deconstruct the many codes. Some lead nowhere while others maybe gave deeper answers. Even the eventual movie poster hid clues that were invisible to the unobservant, rewarding those who looked maybe a bit too closely. As it stands, nobody agrees on the ending or what the true meaning is. It's postmodernism in cinematic form, combining the real with the surreal in such a way that everything felt tangible while a bit exaggerated.
Garfield was also a fan of taking the role because it contradicted the recent roles that he had played. Following Silence and Hacksaw Ridge, he was eager to play someone more antisocial. He saw the character as a Taxi Driver Travis Bickel type, who wanted to save the day but ultimately was a hypocrite without the means to be a hero. Like Mitchell, he saw the narrative as a denouncement of toxic masculinity. This came through in contradictory actions and often grungy outfits that looked like they smelled bad. Was he a murderer? Is he experiencing a fever dream on his death bed? There's a whole Reddit thread dedicated to these theories and they all kind of make sense, proving that Mitchell was onto something. He even hired Kevin Knight, who co-created a program to translate Copiale codes, to help with the encrypted messages.
It is said that Mitchell's story was written over an unorthodox 180-page script. He often filled pages with pictures for reference. Like It Follows, he had issues getting many financiers on board. He eventually got a deal though many wondered if this would lead to issues. Every frame was packed with visual references to other movies, such as the unfinished Marilyn Monroe movie Something's Gotta Give as well as various nods to Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. It's an inherently referential movie with nonstop references, reflecting how the characters are living carelessly on the backs of legends who had more substantial careers. It even references Mitchell's first movie The Myth of the American Sleepover in a scene set at The Hollywood Cemetery. Even the score by Disasterpeace feels reminiscent of film noir and classic Hollywood scores.
It would be difficult to talk about the production of this movie without just diving into ambiguity. While Mitchell admits that this is a story decrying a misogynist lead stuck in his own male gaze, he refuses to engage in any study of the conspiracy theories that he's created in the text. Overall the film was a lofty creation that was a combination of hundreds of ideas. The director even claims he's pulled references going back to the 1920s. While shooting around Hollywood, he was able to create a warped vision of the industry. The film began pre-production on Halloween 2016, proving to be one of the least eventful aspects of this film's pre-release narrative. With A24 already booked as a distributor, everything looked like it was ready to go.
When it premiered at Cannes in 2018, it was one of only two American titles in contention (the other being BlacKkKlansman). While Mitchell was aware that the film could have some pushback, he was disappointed to learn that it left audiences confused and booing. While some had called if great, others labeled it a confusing mess. From its premiere, many compared it to Southland Tales: another Cannes premiere that was considered a baffling mess.
The fact that it was immediately delayed only lead many to wonder what the big deal was. It was originally given a June 22, 2018 release. Whether or not it was intended, its delay came following the bad Cannes buzz. It moved to a much more prestigious December 7, 2018, before being pushed back to April 19, 2019, before ultimately landing on a video on demand strategy. This is at least true of its American release. It began releases in August 2018 in France and Belgium before expanding around the world. Because of this, it was more likely to be pirated in the United States a good six months before any planned release. The marketing failed so terribly that it almost felt like a conspiracy concocted by the film itself. Many were left wondering what caused this to be brushed under the rug. Some argued it was re-edited (this was denied by Mitchell) while others just felt that A24 was embarrassed with the film. They would promote the film, but only to announce the delay.
Despite this terrible mishandling, Under the Silver Lake slowly found an audience. It proved to be one of their most popular direct to video titles to date. Not only had it made $1.9 million internationally, but it lead to one of their most passionate fan bases. There is the aforementioned Reddit thread that continues to find new ways to deconstruct the film. If anything, it's a film that perfectly captures the feeling of their fans: paranoid and looking for answers. In a year that saw A24 release their strangest and most exciting titles, it's interesting that this throwaway title has the ability to compete for passionate fans alongside Climax, High Life, Midsommar, Uncut Gems, and The Lighthouse. Even then, it had far less support than any of them divided by each other.
All things considered, it is fitting that it received a 59% rating on critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. It was too ambitious to be entirely written off, but it also was far from a renowned sensation to general audiences. Matt Cipolla of The Spool lead the positive feedback when noting "Is it a flawed movie? Sure. But it's also a spectacular middle finger of a film, and that's just what Mitchell thinks we deserve. And maybe we do." Steven Sheehan of The Digital Fix shard sentiment when suggesting "There's no holding back from Mitchell who delivers a cult classic that will offer rewards for years to come." Then there were those like Karl Delossantos of Smash Cut Reviews who reflected the negative by saying "Under the Silver Lake alternates between being incredibly compelling and frustratingly confused. And that'll work for some."
It's a little over a year since the film has been released, so it's difficult to know what its true legacy truly is. Mitchell claims that he's working on another project with Atlanta director Hiro Murai. Meanwhile, Garfield is off doing his own thing. For a film that perfectly captures the weird A24 aesthetic, it's strange how this never reached its true potential, even barely playing theaters stateside. Then again, a film about disappointment and paranoia probably benefits from this track record, getting a cruel yet mythic origin story that works as much in its favor as it does against A24. Who knows if the film would've been anywhere near a hit if it wasn't delayed. Still, it's great to know that they can deliver cult favorites. Though those that expected them to keep ignoring their big hits, all they had to do was wait until their next movie, one of their most respected dramas of the year with The Souvenir.
Up Next: The Souvenir (2019)
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