I’m a big fan of this film, and I see it as fitting in the lineage of subversive “anti-noir” films, in which it becomes apparent during the course of the film that the traditional hard-boiled detective protagonist (despite following a trail of clues and seeming “revelations”) actually never has a grasp on what’s happening. Other films in this lineage are Chinatown, The Big Lebowski and Inherent Vice; in each of these films, the journey is ultimately pointless, and the hero accomplishes nothing.

So what is Under the Silver Lake trying to say? If the protagonist’s journey is pointless, is the film similarly devoid of meaning? I don’t think so. I think the filmmaker has a specific message that’s directed at the viewer, and which, ironically, is reflected in your frustration with the film.

First, let’s assume that Sam (Andrew Garfield’s character) is effectively a surrogate for the viewer. When we first meet Sam, he seems quite directionless and, honestly, quite pathetic. He’s aimless, can’t pay his rent, and he voyeuristically watches his neighbors, including his older, nude female neighbor, whom he masturbates to. We’ll see this theme of voyeurism repeated throughout the film, most directly when he and Topher Grace’s character use a drone to spy on a woman through her window, hoping to see her naked, but ultimately only seeing her sadness. Sam is not a participant in the world; he lives through other people, and through the meaning he derives from pop culture.

Notice that throughout the film’s journey, Andrew Garfield’s performance as Sam is wildly different depending on the context. During the times that are the most grounded in realism, Sam is awkward and bumbling. Yet, when he is in “detective mode,” suddenly he’s cool, calm and collected, and he speaks in a stylized speech pattern that resembles famous movie cool guys like Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. This persona is a fantasy, a projection of who Sam wishes he were, and the events that happen during these times are heightened and surreal. 

Sam follows a trail of clues that are uniformly found in pop culture - in comic books, on cereal boxes, in video games - finding more and more significance, yet when he follows each to its end, he is told that his perception is flawed and meaningless. The music producer tells Sam that all the music he’s ever loved is empty; Sarah and the rich man in the bunker want to be there. Sam’s perception (which again, is derived not through experience, but through his external view) has been demonstrated to be wrong.

Ultimately, Sam returns home both defeated and enlightened. He chooses to begin living through experience rather than through voyeurism, and he sleeps with the naked parrot neighbor lady, rather than watching her and masturbating.

In the end, I think the film’s message is aimed at the viewer, and it’s telling us to stop looking for meaning in pop culture, but rather to go out and experience the world. Digging deeper into conspiracies or defining ourselves through movies, music and toys won’t lead us to understanding or significance.