Under the Silver Lake (2018)

dir David Robert Mitchell

“You ever feel like you fucked up a somewhere a long time ago and you’re living the wrong life, like a bad version of the life you’re supposed to have?”

An unfortunate thought that has been plaguing me lately, and also Andrew Garfield as Sam, apparently. Relating to this guy is actually probably a huge red flag given that the character is such a shitty slice of ass. In fact, he’s the freaking dog killer! Great casting choice here. It’s so easy to hate Andrew Garfield. So many moments where you just want to kill him. Like when he beats up the little kids. Or the scene where he’s jerking off while playing the record backwards. And anything with the actress, of course. At best, he’s an idiot and at worst…he’s the freaking dog killer!

On second watch, the featured performance that sticks out to me the most  is Bobbi Salvör Menuez. I think they did an amazing job here. I find them very interesting in all ways. An ethereal spirit, perfect for a sexy neo noir. I want to see more of them in other good films. The only other thing I’ve seen them in was Adam (2019) which was just awful all around. Sky Elobar is also a fun addition. If you haven’t seen The Greasy Strangler (2016), you’re in for a treat. Or a trick. It’s a fine line, ya know? But be brave and give it a go. Keep in mind while you watch that the first time I saw this film was on a date. Yeah, it was a bad date. It wouldn’t have been a bad date if we were watching Under the Silver Lake, though!

This film might be one of my actual favorites, like top 10 material. There’s something so special about fictionalized accounts of real places, fake local legends and everything. The owl’s kiss. The silly little map of Los Angeles in the cereal box. I love it almost as much as I love LA.