'Under The Silver Lake' Trailer: 'It Follows' Director Returns With A Paranoid Weirdo Pseudo-Noir

David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake has the rare distinction of appearing on my most anticipated movies list in multiple years. The It Follows director’s, well, follow up, has been on the way for what feels like forever. But it’s finally for sure coming out this summer. To prove that point, A24 released a new trailer for the indie neo-noir. Dude definitely has a thing for young blond women in swimming pools.

This Under the Silver Lake trailer looks like a definite departure from the STD horror allegory of It Follows. Though it still falls into Mitchell’s wheelhouse of stories about the young folks. And it shares a kinship with his previous films, including The Myth of the American Sleepover. They guy likes awkward youngs.

Okay, so this appears to be a paranoid weirdo pseudo noir, wrapped what looks like an obvious parable of mental illness, all with flourishes of Chandler and Hammet. And I can certainly roll with that combination. We see oddball imagery, intricately choreographed scenes and camera moves, murder, kidnapping, and all the detective genre hallmarks.  Honestly, it's reminiscent of a millennial version of Inherent Vice, maybe a touch less esoteric.

Here’s an overly long, detailed synopsis:

From the dazzling imagination that brought you It Follows comes a delirious neonoir fever dream about one man’s search for the truth behind the mysterious crimes, murders and disappearances in his East L.A. neighborhood. 

Sam (Andrew Garfield) is a disenchanted 33-year-old who discovers a mysterious woman, Sarah (Riley Keough), frolicking in his apartment’s swimming pool. When she vanishes, 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 in the City of Angels. 

From writer-director David Robert Mitchell comes a sprawling, playful and unexpected mystery-comedy detective thriller about the Dream Factory and its denizens — dog killers, aspiring actors, glitter-pop groups, nightlife personalities, It girls, memorabilia hoarders, masked seductresses, homeless gurus, reclusive songwriters, sex workers, wealthy socialites, topless neighbors, and the shadowy billionaires floating above (and underneath) it all. Mining a noir tradition extending from Kiss Me Deadly and The Long Goodbye to Chinatown and Mulholland Dr., Mitchell uses the topography of Los Angeles as a backdrop for a deeper exploration into the hidden meaning and secret codes buried within the things we love.

Outside of Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough, Under the Silver Lake features a who’s who of quirky indie actors, including Zosia Mamet, Patrick Fischler, Topher Grace, Jimmi Simpson, Callie Hernandez, Riki Lindhome, and more.

Some folks suspect Under the Silver Lake will debut at Cannes this May. While that’s not a bad bet, most of us won’t make it to France, so we’ll have to wait until A24 drops it into theaters starting June 22.