Why "Under the Silver Lake" is a Modern Noire Masterpiece

Under the Silver Lake is a criminally underrated modern noire classic, and this video essay aims to break down some of the core symbolism and mysteries that lie within.
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Special shoutout to: / thomy_erb
for the excellent breakdown on reddit that helped me write part of this video.

[@daniel_netzel]

Thanks for watching! This video was a labor of love for a film that I think deserves a lot more attention. I didn't even come close to covering everything there is to discuss about UTSL, but hopefully I did the film justice. If you enjoy the video or anything I do here, I'd really appreciate you taking a look at my Patreon page and considering to support me. I'm a solo creator putting emphasis on quality over quantity, and every little bit helps me get closer to making content full-time again. Links are in the description!

[@happinesstan]

Enjoying the vid, but I think you're harsh to blame Sam for missing the morse code in the fireworks. Nobody looks for morse code in fireworks. I'm also not sure if mixing reality with the film is fair. I'm not even sure What Three Words existed at the time of the film. According to Wiki it was founded in 2013

[@happinesstan]

"seemingly insignificant close-ups" as we see a seemingly insignificant close up of what looks like a ballet trophy, do such things exist? Could this be to imply Sara was a talented child, and therefore more susceptible to the charms of the hollywood dream?

[@sickstrings]

Great movie. I think the view that we could form a community finding meaning in shared experiences is just as depressing. It sounds as if we accept the subjective nature of meaning and purpose but choose to embrace this obvious illusion. Accepting the game is rigged and then coming to terms by purposely feeding ourselves an admitted placebo. That is just as sad.

[@happinesstan]

@@sickstrings We started our great journey as communities finding meaning in shared experiences. Even if we accept the religious propaganda we've still survived over 6000 years, and still going strong enough to represent a threat to life itself.

[@alexcarl3050]

Fantastic analysis and one I happen to agree with for the most part. Thank you!

[@DuncanUdaho67]

This is one of those films that I could immediately tell would find a cult following. Glad to see it’s continuing to grow an audience!

[@daniel_netzel]

I think in another ten years people will be shocked to hear this wasn't loved

[@happinesstan]

As soon as I finished I looked for the cult on Reddit. I wasn't disappointed.

[@tiananesbitt7156]

Can’t give it too much love though I am pleased with a well made cinematography!

[@clunt2548]

Fantastic movie, had me enthralled the whole way through.

[@Professor-id4jh]

​@@happinesstanReddit is stupid. They are probably the same people like the protagonist Sam.

[@adrianbarajas6319]

Blew my mind when sevence’s daughter dies and at the end we see her dad is actually still alive. She died for her dad when he was alive the whole time. Insane stuff

[@becbecbecca]

But severance is dead with the girls…

[@matheusazevedo2535]

Also, the number three is strong in the movie. He learns 3 times, through different myths, his real path. 3 different acts. “Blond act”, “Ginger act” and “Dark hair Act”. Each of these acts he finds one of the three “dolls” and a Doppelganger version. I posted it on Reddit a while back. Each act is associated with a myth. “Dog killer”, “Owl’s Kiss” and “Cult of the Whale”. He loses his mind with symbolism around him, movie posters predicting things that will happen later on, even his Playboy cover magazine, Sevence’s daughter dies at 3rd Act like a whale at a black lagoon, like his Playboy cover magazine. The ginger with red baloons is certainly the “model” of the Owl Creature. The house of that writer resembles a cage, he has even decorative owls inside. Etc etc

[@mcleere1]

I like the doll match up, good call. Now I need to watch the movie again. This movie is incredibly fun, the layer upon layer of clever puzzles & how music & movies from the past have created what we are today. 🙏🏽✌️

[@SkorgeSlaps]

I noticed that too! There's even that scene where a woman is doing a form of slam poetry right at the entrance of the balloon party and she literally starts reciting "3, 3, 3... 3, 3... 3" and that always immediately struck me as odd.

[@maurverngallard4607]

PS: red balloons is a belied metaphor. They represent human blood cells erythrocytes in both Stephen Kings “ It”( v@mp1r1stuc “ spider”- clown Preys on terrified children to get adrenalised bl00d; “ spider” is an Australian slang for paefophile , it’s no accident that scary clown is a spider-creature-shapeshifter in context of “ It”). Red balloons represent erythrocytes also in “ Under the Silver Lake”, given that Athena/Molech/Baal is a v@mp1r1st1c demonic entity.

[@maurverngallard4607]

PPS: at 0:01 a man on the poster with the gun to his head is throwing Baal horns hand sign, same hand which holds the gun. At 0:13 on the poster the human foot dipping into ( supppsedly) Silver Lake has 6 toes.

[@letslook8910]

how does a whale at a black lagoon die? is this a common expression?

[@kyle8197]

This is the first really good video essay on this movie I've seen. It doesn't miss the point at all or get too wrapped up in decoding, great work man.

[@daniel_netzel]

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@Carlosonebillion]

Great video. I'll never forget watching this movie, my wife and I had to pause it to get in the closet for 3 tornado warnings throughout the runtime, and the vague weather anxiety and charged atmosphere only enhanced the weird unsettling vibe the movie puts off.

[@sifatshams1113]

UTSL is totally the Donnie Darko of the 2010s. I love seeing its cult following grow and grow every year. And it's only a matter of time before Sam gets included into the Literally Me canon.

[@daniel_netzel]

I love Donnie Darko, and I hope UTSL can hit that same level of cult following someday, but only time will tell.

[@bobba515]

But Sam is the dog killer..

[@ucntcit]

this movie is more mature than darko.

Darko is way better. Not even close.

[@lonelyone]

I think of it on the same level as Mulholland Drive, Donnie Darko, and more recently, Beau is Afraid. All rabbit holes I enjoyed going down.

[@badboy14132]

Holy wow. This made me appreciate the film even more. Thank you for this.

[@daniel_netzel]

Thanks for watching! It's one of my favorite films, I discover more each time I watch it, and I hate that it's not more well known

[@brozu81]

Not to dive too far into conspiracy, but I wonder if the bad marketing and release that lead to this film flying way under the radar was intentional since the themes primarily criticize Hollywood elitism. Perhaps the movie stepped on too many toes.

[@daniel_netzel]

It's possible, but honestly the movie just performed really poorly at the box office, and that's poison for a director's career

[@OscarLopez-gw3jx]

It’s a little hard to promote this kind of movie

[@Brittaly]

For sure. 👍🏼

[@bassplayinben]

Definitely

[@JohnMoseley]

I rewatched Inherent Vice recently for the first time in years and was surprised to note how much it seemed to be a source for UTSL. Both films are set in LA and centre around a search for a missing woman who is an object of desire for the protagonist, and for corrupt men. The two protagonists' home interiors are strikingly similar and both films use the song 'Never My Love' by the Association. Andrew Garfield's performance even seems based on Joachim Phoenix's at times.

[@RezValla]

To me UTSL feels like a cross between Inherent Vice and Southland Tales

[@maurverngallard4607]

Add “ Chinatown” with Jack Nicholson to “ Under the Silver Lake”, another movie where protagonist ( Jack Nicholson’s character) attempts to save his love interest , the woman who is an object of desire of a corrupt & powerful man( her father who is also her grandfather who is also a father of her daughter-- mind boggling, innit?-- the el-lite interbreeding tradition which comes from ancient ore-Babylon possibly from as far as Atlantis ). Watch out for a clue to right eye dichromatic pattern as a clue to multigenerational interbreeding-- and then check out Madeline McCain and George Soros and Charles. Truth is a LOT stranger than fiction, snd these “clues” are the REVELATION OF THE METHOD in Quaballah mystic teachings ( meaning of “ they “ tell you, they told you the truth in the form of a veiled allegory, so noe you know, and if you fail to act, karma is on you. True story, BTW.

[@Theanomaly369]

In GTA 5/Los Santos (LA) there are also 'lost dog' posters with phone numbers on it, and if you call them you here some strange things... And other symbolism all over the place

[@JohnMoseley]

@@maurverngallard4607 The actual conspiracy theory stuff in your post doesn't interest me in the slightest, I"m afraid. I don't buy it, really don't like the Q-ish whiff about it, and I don't think it's what UTSL is about. The detail of the film's own conspiracy theory doesn't really make sense, except in the service of its real purpose, in my view, which is a swingeing indictment of Hollywood, the way it encourages us to throw our lives away on garbage and the way it grossly exploits women in particular. But really good point on the parallel with Chinatown. I hadn't thought of that.

[@maurverngallard4607]

John, you are hilarious. To paraphrase your reply : The topic of Rocket physics DOESN’T interest me at slightest-- and I believe for the same reason that you don’t want to know about “ conspiracies” in movies-- because we both have zero clue about these topics of choice . That said, why don’t you try to see if my Chinatown clue pans out via delving deeper into and utilising knowledge of genetics ( you’ll see that I am dead bang-on on the money , but what do I know , I am just a conspiracrazy looneywhacko 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️😂😂😂😂). I’ve only been deciphering movies for VISIBLE and OBVIOUS signs of subliminal programming for some 15 years now, that’s nothing, like fart in a wind, right? LOL! Ah, and I dread to inform you that “ Q” is a CIA- sub ranch of military PSY-OPPS “ intelligence” unit who’s JOB is to spread misinformation, disinformation & an outlandish shit such as “ saving children from catacombs “ by “ Trump soldiers”, LOL. If you think that Chinatown theory is o retesting, I’d pay a top dollar to see your jaw drop when you discover LUCIENT TECHNOLOGIES, Comnect it to ID2020 and connect ALL to Jarred Kushner( orange Cheeto’s sun in law, Ivan has husband ). But what do I know, LOL. I’ve traced some very questionable footage posted by supposed Q operatives & geostamps connect some of the gruesome images of abused children to paefophile videos originating in Thailand, but than again, what would a conspiracrazy looneywhacko like me know, LOL. ANYONE and ANY organisation which is posting literal torture p0rn involving children is malignant, do I really need to explain this to a grown man? So, btch, please-- do NOT associate me with paefophile military ops which is so called “ Q”, Allright? Please and thank you. Thanks for the random put down disguised as a compliment from a random man though, I live and breathe for cookie crumbs like these 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jonatanaugust6793]

I live in LA and I relate to this film a lot. I’ve seen it a few times when I had showtime and after I cancelled my subscription I couldn’t resist the urge to buy the dvd. I always find a deeper meaning every time I watch it. The movie has lots of hidden messages. Highly recommended. Thank you for your excellent analyses, editing, music choice, really well story telling.

[@daniel_netzel]

Thanks for your comment! I love this movie so much, and I'm always hoping it finds more of an audience someday, super underrated movie.

[@jonatanaugust6793]

@@daniel_netzel 100%

[@nightman_]

I love this film. It's one of those that still feels fresh every time you rewatch it.

[@daniel_netzel]

One of the most rewatchable movies to me

[@joeferris5086]

​@@daniel_netzelI put it on to fall asleep to several times a week for the score alone. It's such a perfect movie. Feels like Mulholland drive to me

[@brozu81]

One of my favorite films that gets no attention at all. So glad you chose to analyze it and I picked up on symbolism I never knew. Robert David Mitchell is really one of the best directors right now and the music by disasterpeace is so good. Perfectly fits with that nostalgic 50s detective feel. I can almost imagine that music is what plays in Sam's head as he thinks of himself as an ace detective solving clues

[@daniel_netzel]

Disasterpeace is one of my all time favorite musicians, his scores in Mitchell's films in particular are incredible

[@slopaxo]

i reference this movie in a lot of my work as it is one of my favorites too

[@matheusazevedo2535]

As the journey of Sam’s (self) discovery unravels, he becomes a pirate. He is searching for his “prize” (gold). Actually the prize is realizing everything mentioned in the video. Being a pirate for millionaires seen before in the movie is going under the silve lake with women e easy life. At the end, at the balcony, he literally becomes a pirate, with a parrot saying “pirate”.

[@matheusazevedo2535]

He stinks for society and women, like a homeless. But at the end, he smells nice for the neighbor. He literally becomes homeless. He doesn’t have anything valuable anymore. His journey to self happiness, life as simple things.

[@TheZanzibarMan]

When Sam says he hates the homeless, he's totally talking about himself. Because he is also homeless.

[@adsportscards8721]

this has been like the only movie to still have me thinking about it after watching and questioning everything

[@daniel_netzel]

Half of this video's script was discovered just by working on this video and rewatching the movie, it's like a never-ending Russian nesting doll

[@PRODJUN]

This movie is fantastic. So much deeper meaning I caught onto, I feel like I can relate to this film so much because the society we live in is not far off from what UTSL is trying to unravel. I always saw things, whether they were subliminal or not, even before any pandemic, the messaging was there, its just not everyone can see it or want to believe it. Take Control of your own life. 😊😅

[@daniel_netzel]

And then the pandemic made everything horrifyingly clear xD

[@SAMLT3M]

Excellent video essay. I just watched the film for a second time and came close to understanding most of it but your deep dive really hit the nail on the head of what this film truly wants to convey. Thanks for sharing!🙏

[@davehandelman2832]

I JUST watched this film. Thank you SO MUCH for spelling it out!!! Great video, bro!

[@jonatanaugust6793]

Rewatching your analysis, and it’s so on point 👏🏻 also, thank you for the new perspective you share at the end of your video. I think you’re doing exactly that, helping other dogs to have a better outlook. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@lonelyone]

I watched the movie for the first time last night and went down a deep rabbit hole searching for answers. Out of all the analyses I read/watched, this was the best one, and the first video I'd recommend to people after watching the film.

[@franciscocaramichos5161]

Man this video is a 10 out of 10. Thank you for it. I'll definitely be coming back whenever I get sucked into the coyote trap. Marvelous work you should feel very proud!

[@jacktriesto]

Liked this movie a lot but this essay got me thinking I may love it on rewatch. So many great details that are also thematically relevant! Amazing video dude hope you keep making more

[@thankyou329]

Wonderfully made essay. Well thought out. Empathetic. Tightly edited. I love Under the Silverlake and this essay makes me want to watch it right now. Keep up the great work!

[@dopamine_actual]

I enjoyed your analysis. You made some good connections I haven't heard before. Great editing too!

[@jw112mail]

This is the ultimate companion piece to the film. Well done!

[@RayOddname]

Whoa! This is insanely good editing! Great job, I’ve been searching for a video essay on UTSL for a while

[@daniel_netzel]

Wow, thank you! It took a long LONG time so I'm glad it's appreciated 🙏

[@jimchapman9595]

I'm so glad this video exists. Finally saw this movie last year and it completely captivated me. I connected with it in ways I hadn't been able to really place, and this video articulated so much of why perfectly. Thank you for this!

[@daniel_netzel]

Thanks for watching! :D

[@MarxistMaverick]

Finally got around to seeing under the silver lake. what a ride of a movie. There was a bunch of things that I hadn't caught. Another well put video sir

[@JohnMoseley]

Super nice catch on Samsara/Nirvana. I was never going to get the Samsara part on my own, but I can't believe I never thought about the significance of Nirvana. Brilliant. I didn't figure out the idea that the rich 'kings' were the coyotes either. Might be right, or might be that coyotes are above even the 'kings' - genuinely 'blessed creatures,' letting us use everything, letting this awful power game between humans play, above it all, free because seemingly lowly. More like the homeless king really, rooting around in garbage and able to lead us to where we want to go.

[@RimazaxD]

Great work man!! It's been a while since I saw this film, but I have always remembered as an incredible movie

[@stevenewsom3269]

Fantastic work! Really made me think about things both within the film and outside of it.

[@FWA1677]

This is one of the best videos I've ever watched. Thank you!

[@daniel_netzel]

Thank you kindly!

[@zachmedia9951]

Fantastic edit man. Keep up the great work

[@daniel_netzel]

Thank you!

[@deego21]

This is an amazing analysis bro

[@wander9978]

Amazing analysis, definitely more in line with what I took from the film but beautifully worded in a way I didn't even know I resonated with

[@daniel_netzel]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@alexcarl3050]

JFC. One of the best breakdowns (and I've seen many) of this brilliant film. Well done!

[@salmonsandwich3183]

love this movie because it makes you think. I've watched a ton of video essays on this film, and this might be the best one yet.

[@matthewhand2699]

I really enjoyed your insights here. I've seen the film a handful of times and have enjoyed it each viewing from various perspectives.

[@roachmasta189]

Excellent video. I have a feeling as the years go on this film will get the credit it's due

[@daniel_netzel]

I certainly hope so, its quickly becoming an all time favorite for me

[@leelaprasadd]

beautifully done video. this movie will always have a place in my, and many other hearts. I feel that its widely misunderstood and hasn't been given the applause it deserves, but maybe that makes it more special.

[@zanzer386]

That was an excellent breakdown of an excellent film. Thank you

[@ArmanZaidi]

this is an insanely high quality video essay, kudos brother

[@MoManiaTV]

This video captured the movie very well. Love the analysis. I appreciate the work you put in

[@adamcrofts58]

stunning programme you put together Daniel. Thanks.

[@daniel_netzel]

I appreciate it!

[@adamcrofts58]

@@daniel_netzel Keep up the good work. Just because you don't post frequently does not mean that its content is of less value. May your channel grow.

[@johnneyjohnson8607]

This was great analysis!

[@sanjin.p]

Daniel, this was one of the best movies of that year. I enjoyed it so much. It's a REVELATION just like your channel. Please, don't give up. We, aspiring filmmakers and film enthusiasts crave for this kind of content. Like Dio said : " You're a rainbow in the dark ".

[@nikwickliffe1816]

Dio said , like a rainbow in the dark . Js

[@sanjin.p]

@@nikwickliffe1816 Pretty sure that in the outro says "You're a rainbow in the dark" . Have a nice day ;)

[@mwanye295]

great work on this video essay

[@TechMetalRules]

Fantastic breakdown, dude!

[@fancypants6089]

wow. thank you for this breakdown. missed all of this and now i understand what i watched. you made the movie better with this breakdown!

[@graceleathers5970]

Man, I’m glad you were able to understand all of this from the film, I struggled. It felt incredibly disjointed to me upon first watch. I wish I’d been able to pick up on all of this.

[@Matthias333]

Quality video for a great hidden gem I always hound people to watch and they never do. Kudos for noticing some new things I never have, even after almost 20 viewings. Thanks for this.

[@daniel_netzel]

Glad I could help uncover some new things!

[@anonymousg7778]

Brilliant little interpretation , i just recently watched this film and I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier it’s the best film I’ve seen in years

[@OelhakkahleO]

Thank you for making me appreciate this film even more.

[@dearhorse085]

I guess it gives directors/writers a lot of confidence in a movie to be symbolic like that, because they have to treat everything as if it was meant to be there. Like BCS, if that makes sense? I'm saying there's preparation and a mental map of what goes where in their heads; so maybe, they put a lot of history behind every object and word in the movie so they can remember the scenes and their progression.

[@dearhorse085]

So there wouldn't be continuity errors and stuff like that

[@Darkhunter2121]

Thank you for helping me understand the message this film is trying to tell.

[@kencult]

I saw this movie as soon as it came out and was immediately hooked. I started following the sub reddit dedicated to uncovering the mystery (as I'm sure you have as well) and it's been one heck of a roller coaster over the years. This video is such a great culmination of not just all the mysteries found within the film, but also the film as a whole and what it represents in modern society. Thank you for making this.

[@laurareeves9754]

Great analysis. I guess the reason I like these film analyses video essays is the same reason I love detective films. Anyway, great essay, as always. I love your content.

[@borisbrosowski6630]

I adored the film immediately when it came out, have watched it countless times only to find something new. Lots of my friends hate it, because they cannot figure it out. Great video!

[@ExpressivelyYannaMarie]

Thank you for this, very concise and detailed.

[@VZed]

This movie hit me on so many levels, some of which I could sift through on my own, but on so many others than escaped me on first, second, third... well... all the times I've watched it. This video gets to all of it and parsed it so perfectly. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to send this video to all of the people i've foisted this movie onto in the last few years.

[@daniel_netzel]

Oh man, this took watching the movie like 10 times to get everything figured out, and I had some help from reddit lol

[@VZed]

@@daniel_netzel ah, reddit. Can't hope to count the number of times it has been a boon for my own work. Sometimes the best stuff comes from the weirdest places. I've been watching through some more of your videos since yesterday and this is my favourite kind of channel to stumble into. Excuse me while I ring that bell under the video title real quick.

[@ericxb]

awesome video, thanks for making this. i loved this movie, definitely in my top 10.

[@anzajamaa5001]

omg this is the best video essay I have ever seen.Thank you. As a woman I also resonate with his character somehow.This is has given me food for thought and somehow made me emotional. I pray you continue this and Ive subbed.

[@VoorDeFilm]

Great essay! Thanks.

[@daniel_netzel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@blagertb9614]

This video is awesome! I wish more people would talk about this movie.

[@afr4847]

I watched this movie a few years ago and I’m not sure that a day goes by when I don’t think about it.

Thats a bit sad. Maybe you need to get a life...

[@kerstinfontaine7941]

This movie is AMAZING, I just stumbled upon it by accident. I can't believe I could have just gone on forever, never knowing this gem existed! I would love recommendations from anyone who loved this.

[@justinbailey8831]

Found out about this movie in the comment section about a guy who is litteraly the songwriter. Hes made like almost all the hit songs. He sometimes has the top five songs all at the same time

[@bayraausukhbayar7466]

Amazing video!!!

[@quinndeitrick9715]

This was a truly fantastic analysis. I watched this movie years ago and it didn’t quite stick with me as I couldn’t grasp what was being told beneath the surface. This is making me want to rewatch it now. I’m still curious if the title plays any significance. Or is it just another example of decoding symbols around us?

[@daniel_netzel]

Thank you! I highly recommend giving it a rewatch! I think it's just referring to the idea of all the bones that Hollywood is built upon, what lies under the silver lake are all the lost souls devoured by the city. That's my thought anyways

[@ztifbob]

Movies were originally (silent era mostly) made with film containing silver nitrate which produced a very high quality image (better than what superseded) but made the films themselves highly flammable and so were outlawed.

[@Brittaly]

@@daniel_netzelor under the silver screen…

[@bulbashine_]

there is a moment in this movie where I believe Sam runs right by Sara's tomb, in fact in this video at 19:26 i believe it may even be a glimpse of her tomb. fantastic video on a fantastic movie!!

[@veles8318]

Thank you for this analysis! I've never seen anyone so succinctly and with such expertise summarize a deeply intellectual film like this. Thank you!

[@stephenwalker850]

Dae you see that Kermode, “ deeply intellectual “ 👮🏻‍♂️

[@johnmichaelkarma]

Heard Veles mention the movie today on Rogue News. Came looking for a good analysis. If it's Veles approved it must be worthy.👍

[@chrisjorn7496]

Thanks for making this dude. It made the movie better. Keep going 🤙

[@pascalrenaud9880]

Nice vidéo, I find quite satisfying, considering the tremendous number of theories this film induce. As I Still think you didn't cover all of them, you did ease my burning curiosity about the uncovering of all of its secrets. Wasn't it all the point in the end ? Thank you for your work 😀

[@VisheshBhaskar]

This is honestly one of the best video essays i have seen in my whole life. Kudos to the creator, I have subscribed and hope you create more. This is insane quality

[@daniel_netzel]

Thank you so much for saying so! It was a labor of love

[@VenusianLissette]

I really enjoyed this. Thank you.

[@daniel_netzel]

My pleasure, thank you for watching!

[@JBob250]

whew, that was something. fantastic, ty.

[@daniel_netzel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mymythTV]

My first thought when the film began is seeing the lady in the window with the Morrison tshirt, right away I knew it was going to be about hidden symbols, occult, sex idols etc. Oddly it's never mentioned by anyone else.

[@Brittaly]

I noticed that too with many other references to certain bands, actors, movies etc. I think that deserves a super deep dive…

[@Ploplop-po9wo]

Really like your analysis. Opened my eyes on several things! Awesome to have a movie with so much interpretation possible. I personally believe The Songwriter represents the Hollywood system, he is not just "one of their own", he is the system itself. That's why he can never make enough money. Sam killing him is a symbolic act of him killing his attachment to pop culture after realizing that it's just a system producing soulless pointless things to make money. He isn't literally killing the Hollywood system. Notice how after that scene he doesn't wear t-shirts with references to pop culture anymore and someone even comments on his white t-shirt. Also, I think "ascending" means becoming immortalized on the big screen, not anything literal. The silver lake = the silver screen. The way to achieve immortality is to always be remembered. "Great men of the past have done the same", i.e. they are remembered. One of the brides of the man in the hut says "nothing can ever be wrong" in the place they go after ascending, i.e. TV is comforting. The process of ascending is thus the process of becoming a celebrity. I also think Sara saying "there's no getting out now so I might as well make the best of it" is a reference to being an actress in the Hollywood system. It's made quite obvious with the cut from Sara to the Hollywood sign right after she says it, and then cut to Sam saying "me too". Andrew Garfield is also an actor just making the best of it in Hollywood. Even though the system is messed up, the conclusion is that you might as well do your best.

[@jonathanmoore5619]

Very well done. Thank you.

[@higherfocus]

spectacular work, my friend 🫡

[@jonmustang]

Nice video! Great analysis. It reminded me that Carlos Castenada, famed author and mystic/shamanic writer, was said to be have been living with three women near the end of his life and I believe they each disappeared shortly after his death. Fascinating that this kingly resurrection may be an actual belief or practice. To me, the classic monk-like answer to Samsara seems preferable to elite rituals... rather than try to live forever as who you think you are, just let go of yourself until you realize you are everything already :)

[@kadosho02]

I recently watched this film tonight. And the themes were fascinating. Especially the introspection, the will, and finding where you belong. It felt like a puzzle with numerous moving pieces. Memories tied to those said parts. Everything has a purpose. Even with the answers, something still felt empty

[@whybegin1285]

Great video I appreciate all the effort

[@daniel_netzel]

Thanks dude, longest I've ever worked on a video lol

[@Garrett1240]

A noir for the modern age: where nothing really makes sense nor is anything resolved. We’re all anxious, paranoid and deeply lonely. Masterpiece imo.

[@aisle_of_view]

The Kurt and Frances Cobain references, plus the light blue fender mustang the protagonist uses to kill the songwriter is interesting. One of the movie's producers was Courtney Love's confidant/bodyguard and allegedly went on a bit of a rampage to try and retrieve the MTV unplugged guitar from Frances' ex husband.

[@PorkchopCupcake]

Just felt like it would be fun to add yet another layer of relevance to the Coyote you speak of at the @12:00 mark. The Ford Mustang that Sam was driving, and eventually towed was possibly powered by a 302 V8 Coyote Engine. Deduce from that what you want just based off the Coyote correlation but even numeric correlations to other elements of the story are at play here.

[@jenniferwalker6771]

😮 This movie was absolutely amazing. I loved your take on this ideology on Life.

[@jakeblack5533]

I think one of the stranger things about this movie is the main character shares a lot of personality traits with shaggy from scooby doo for some reason

[@Ohboymason]

My takeaway after just watching it was “is it about the destination or the journey?” Both with their ascension but also his search for the girl, ended up almost anticlimactic. The search gave him meaning

[@caseyw.6550]

This was a masterpiece!

[@D.E.Saccone-no4og]

What Outstanding social and psychological insight....who ever you are : ) well done sir

[@LIVESTREAM19XX]

Not only was the movie a master piece but so was this overview 🔥

[@bassplayinben]

The Director is clearly clued into real conspiracies in Hollywood and beyond. None of this is just his own imagination, he's revealing things that actually exist in our world, imo

[@tareklegrand7747]

and Hollywood allowed him to...

[@ab7dasker]

Through the lens of Hollywood, the movie explores how capitalism has disfigured and contorted all of us in ways big and small. Sam is pretty helpless in the face of the system which has robbed his life of meaning and twisted his mind by engraving a lifelong sense of entitlement, misogyny and a worship of fame. Sam's paranoia helps him cope with the helplessness which defines his life by giving him a false sense of agency.

[@civy420]

Quality. I wish one day I can analyze film like this depth, wonder how long for you to make a video? or writing a script

[@daniel_netzel]

This one was a huge workload, honestly the most time I've spent on a single video before. The script came together with lots of rewatching the movie and reading other theories online, all in all the script took about a month and the edit took two months.

[@civy420]

@@daniel_netzel I appreciate the efforts! it's a lot of work and hope your stuff can pay off in the future, this kind of quality definitely deserve millions of view.

[@Jadewonderland]

I literally subbed after watching this video thanks for your genius of a mind 🎉

[@willietanner7085]

Great video bro. I only recently saw "Under the Silver Lake" and was mesmerized by it. Watched it a second time a week later. So much going on. love the score too. it sounds like Bernard Hermann. I recently asked Rob Ager of Collative Learning what he thought about the film (he does a lot of film analysis here on KZbin) and was astounded to find out that not only did he not like it, he turned it off half way through. Couldn't believe that was what he thought. He makes a hundred videos about "The Shining" and praises David Lynch films, but he turns this off?! Bizarre.

[@crazziemonkke]

rob’s kinda lost me over the last few years. he was great around 13-8 years ago, but something just quite isnt the same anymore

[@maurverngallard4607]

Too many revelations in UTSL, perhaps. If this dude( no idea who he is btw) would start the decipher in earnest , he then would be forced to admit many uncomfortable truths ( UTSL is what I call a “ FULL DISCLOSURE” movie-- except the disclosure is so thick in metaphor that it would fly over majority of peoples heads 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️. With full disclosures, albeit cloaked in metaphors, too many people would be able to understand movie symbolism & thus handle the dudes ass on the plate to him. Perhaps he wishes to keep his cult following & thus steers away from full disclosures, preferring to decipher “ Shining” which is a fairytale about gifted medium boy-- a “ haunted” place which feeds on energy of murder & pain-- and not much else. Looks up Chateu de Amorois ( the “ mother of darkness”) -- if you want to see REAL “ Overlook Hotel”.

[@valeriegriffith5409]

Brick is a noir modern classic. The fact that all this analysis had to explain the intentions of the writer and director, tells you exactly why it might be a cult classic like Donnie Darko but not necessarily a great movie. Definitely a Dude Bro movie.

[@brendacastano8286]

Thank you.... that was amazing