UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (dir. David Robert Mitchell, 2018)

In Los Angeles, a disenchanted and aimless young man named Sam becomes obsessed with the sudden disappearance of his mysterious neighbour, Sarah. His amateur investigation leads him on a bizarre scavenger hunt across the Eastside, deciphering hidden messages and cryptic symbols embedded in the city’s pop culture, billboards, and indie music. As he descends further into a sprawling urban labyrinth of secret societies and elite conspiracies, Sam’s quest for truth transforms into a paranoid spiral into the heart of the Hollywood Hills.

David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake (2018) is a dense, postmodern neo-noir that serves as a kaleidoscopic satire of the information age and the obsessive nature of fandom. Deconstructing the 'slacker-detective' duality against a backdrop of hidden histories and manufactured myths, Under the Silver Lake is a cult-favourite deep dive into modern alienation and conspiracy culture.

TROPICO (dir. Anthony Mandler, 2013)

Lana Del Rey stars in this three-part short film/music video that reinterprets the Biblical story of Genesis through the lens of Americana. Directed by Anthony Mandler, Tropico is a fever-dream pilgrimage through an L.A. that is both beautiful and decaying, where pop-culture remnants are treated as sacred idols. Using a lyrical, poetic structure and luminescent visuals, Tropico arrives at a world where the lines between reality and artifice have completely dissolved.

This screening is part of Violet Hour’s City of Angels season, where we peel back the silver screen and gaze into the sordid underworld of Los Angeles. A city of duality, this season is an ode to the ultimate American nightmare masquerading as a dream.

About Violet Hour

Violet Hour showcases the dark, transgressive and enigmatic side of the screen. Exploring the darker aspects of life through cinema, we screen and discuss works that unsettle, undo us and challenge our perceptions ~