Under the Silver Lake

Under the Silver Lake is currently streaming in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Foxtel Now, and in the UK on MUBI, and its case-by-case structure never gets in the way of the bigger story. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch Andrew Garfield work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

Under the Silver Lake is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. At its heart, Under the Silver Lake understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. Young and disenchanted Sam meets a mysterious and beautiful woman who's swimming in his building's pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy. Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough lead a cast that gives the tension real weight. It hit screens in 2018. The plot mechanics of Under the Silver Lake never overwhelm the human cost underneath them. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Under the Silver Lake. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Andrew Garfield carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.