Say Goodbye to the Last Decade’s Most Subversive Conspiracy Thriller Leaving Netflix Next Week

Image: A24

There is a magnetic allure to a labyrinthine paranoid thriller. While the 1970s perfected the genre with gritty, institutional conspiracies like Three Days of the Condor and Soylent Green, modern cinema continues to push the boundaries with cerebral entries such as Watcher and Coherence. Yet, while most films in this category lean into somber intensity or psychological dread, some daring directors choose to deconstruct and satirize these very conventions.

David Robert Mitchell, having already cemented his reputation with the haunting masterpiece It Follows, applies this subversive touch to his polarizing surrealist comedy, Under the Silver Lake (2018). It is a uniquely disorienting experience that demands a viewing before it exits Netflix on July 5.

At the center of the film is Sam (Andrew Garfield), an aimless, drifting millennial living on the fringes of Los Angeles. Facing imminent eviction, he becomes inexplicably obsessed with decrypting a web of secret messages, urban legends, and pop-culture breadcrumbs. When his enigmatic neighbor, Sarah, vanishes, Sam plunges into a rabbit hole of Tinseltown conspiracies, convinced that a massive, invisible truth is hiding in plain sight.

As the narrative unfolds, we are forced to question the legitimacy of Sam’s crusade. Is he truly uncovering a sprawling, sinister plot, or is he simply a man suffering from profound disillusionment, manufacturing a purpose to fill the void of his own stagnant life? His journey takes him from subterranean bunkers to the homes of eccentric strangers, consistently blurring the lines between genuine mystery and the delusions of a bored, over-stimulated mind.

Image: A24

Mitchell’s work resonates with the same chaotic energy found in Something in the Dirt, which also captures the madness inherent in trying to force disparate coincidences into a coherent narrative. However, where Something in the Dirt anchors itself in the emotional toll of isolation, Under the Silver Lake embraces a more absurd, Lynchian atmosphere—frequently echoing the dreamlike distortions of Mulholland Drive.

Critics of the film often point to its sprawling, sometimes incoherent structure. Yet, that sprawl is the point. Through his meticulous use of Playboy archives, coded cereal boxes, and forgotten lyrics, Mitchell highlights the vacuity of modern consumerist obsession. Sam is not merely a detective; he is a cautionary tale of what happens when we stop engaging with the world and start trying to decode it as a puzzle meant solely for our entertainment.

Image: A24

Ultimately, the film functions as a stark existential critique. Sam’s inability to accept the randomness of life drives him toward these increasingly bizarre theories. Mitchell isn’t interested in giving us a satisfying resolution to a mystery, because there is no mystery to solve—only a protagonist who refuses to face his own reality. By borrowing from the noir tradition of the “burnt-out private eye,” the film reimagines a classic trope for the age of internet-fueled paranoia.

Years after its debut, the film feels increasingly prophetic. In an era where online subcultures frequently descend into digital manhunts and the frantic search for hidden meanings, Mitchell’s vision serves as a haunting mirror. It is an indulgent, beautiful, and deeply frustrating film, which is precisely why it remains an essential watch. Catch it on Netflix before it departs on July 5.

Under the Silver Lake is currently streaming on Netflix.

Source: Polygon