Ragesh Dipu
David Robert Mitchell’s crime thriller movie, ‘Under the Silver Lake’ comes to VOD just three days after the initial theatre release. A24 has decided to out the movie on April 22, with the official U.S. release date is on April 19, 2019.
The movie has Andrew Garfield playing Sam, a disenchanted young man in his early thirties. When he discovers a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment’s swimming pool, Sam’s life changes forever. The woman disappears in the next morning. The disappearance provides Sam with a purpose all sudden. He embarks on a surreal journey crossing LA to find the mystery behind the unknown woman.
But, instead of solving the mystery, the quest guides him straight into the mouth of a larger, sinister conspiracy. Sam finds himself at the eye of a whirlwind in which billionaires, celebrities, urban myths and pop cultural icons stir. He comes across dog killers, aspiring actors, pop icons, hipsters, It girls, hoarders, masked women, homeless monks, reclusive songwriters, sex workers, wealthy socialites, topless neighbors, and above all, murky billionaires looming over the world.
‘Under the Silver Lake’ met with mixed to negative reviews when it was premiers at the Cannes last year. The not-so-encouraging response prompted the makers to put a hold on an immediate release after the festival. It had initially been set for a June 22, 2018 release. And then, pushed to December 7, 2018. In November 2018, the theatrical release date again postponed to April 19, 2019.
The movie also stars Topher Grace, Zosia Mamet, Jimmi Simpson, and Luke Baines. A24 zeroes in on the project after the humongous success of director David Robert Mitchell’s horror thriller ‘It Follows,’ in 2016. The movie grossed $23 million worldwide on a $2 million budget and went on to become one of the surprise blockbusters of the year.
According to reports, ‘Under the Silver Lake’ will only have ‘select screenings’ in New York in Los Angeles on April 19. David Robert Mitchell’s first two movies, ‘The Myth of the American Sleepover’ and ‘It Follows‘ were set on a dreamy plane and caught the imagination of the critics and viewers alike.
The indie powerhouses decision to dump ‘Under the Silver Lake’ on VOD within three days after a ‘limited screening,’ sparks another question. Is the movie that bad? Most of the reviews after the movie’s Cannes screening summed it up as a neo-noir which is messy, troublesome and fascinating at times. Some critics even called it an entertaining mess!
Reports suggest that A24 plans to open ‘Under the Silver Lake’ two theaters, the Angelika Film Center in New York and ArcLight Cinema in LA on April 19. Amazon Prime will let it out on-demand first on 22nd, while Google Play, iTunes, Fandango Now, and Vudu will release the movie on April 23rd. In other words, a majority of moviegoers will have to watch ‘Under the Silver Lake’ on any one of the streaming platforms.
‘Under the Silver Lake’ is produced by Pastel, Michael De Luca Productions, Stay Gold Features, Vendian Entertainment production, in association with Boo Pictures, Cool Productions, P2 Films, Salem Street Entertainment, Sprockfeller Pictures, and UnLTD Productions. The producers are Chris Bender, Michael De Luca, Adele Romanski, and Jake Weiner.
