Lost River

My interest in this film was piqued from the moment I saw the teaser trailer, though admittedly there wasn't much to the trailer. Unfortunately, it took me a few years to get around to finally watch it.

I've always been curious to see how actors shape up when they decide to venture into other areas of the industry like writing or directing, and I was pleasantly surprised with Ryan Gosling's debut. I wasn't ready for the journey that I was about to embark on into a world rooted in both reality and fantasy. Going into this experience I already knew about the mixed reviews but I'm always willing to give a film a chance before I arrive at a verdict myself.

Single mom Billy, struggles to keep possession of her family home nestled along a street sparsely populated by dilapidated homes. Her teenage son Bones tries to support her and his younger brother Frankie by scavenging and selling copper from abandoned buildings while trying to evade Bully, the resident psychopath. After a few run ins with Bully, Bones finds himself in a mess of trouble he isn't sure how to get out of. Soon after his run-in with Bully, Bones begins to spend time with the girl next door, Rat, who tells him of a curse that has been cast on the town of Lost River. In an attempt to pay off her debt, Billy takes a job at the recommendation of her banker Dave at an eccentric, underground club and from here the story is propelled into madness.

I won't go into the film much further, but each minute I felt like I was falling deeper into this fairytale world as the story unraveled. I particularly fell in love with the cinematography; the abandoned buildings, the city lights, the decay, they all lent to the overall tone of the film. It's alluring and dark. The music is haunting as well, with Saoirse Ronan lending her vocals to one of the songs earlier in the film. I think what particularly drew me in was the simplicity; this is a film that makes you think and can confuse you at times, and from what I've read that's one of the main things people detest about it. I like the idea of watching a film multiple times and picking up new themes or meanings with each watch, it's clever.

At times I wondered if there was a point to all of the weirdness and chaos I was watching, but this is one of those films you can't think about too much. I commend Ryan Gosling for taking a vision he had after visiting Detroit and turning it into something he was proud to put his name on. He cast people he respected and admired, and at times he let the actors and the environment take control. I'd like to see more actors, writers, and directors stand behind a vision they believe in even if they know it might not help them earn the most money or acclaim. I seem to take well to films critics hate, but of course everything is just a matter of opinion when you really think about it.

The Verdict: I give this a 7/10. My advice would be to give the film a shot, you're either going to love it or be completely frustrated and confused by it.

Id hate to compare Gosling to Refn, because in reality their styles in film making are completely different. This being said, I found Lost River very pleasing for that reason. Gosling's debut is worth watching. If you have immersed yourself in categories of film such as Lost River, you'll love it. However, if you haven't seen many movies like this one, I recommend finding a title related to this one with a higher rating and (maybe) higher commercialization. Afterwards, come back and appreciate what Gosling has to offer because every frame is shot with care. He is an actor/director who cares and there isn't a whole lot of that these days.

It's not often that I am truly perplexed by a film's critical reception. The critical blasting this has gotten truly... perplexes me. I get it, it's not for everyone, but neither is The Tree of Life, or Under The Skin, or even Drive, or countless of other films that managed to get embraced well- enough by many critics, if not most. Sure, the screenplay here needed some work. Sure, it doesn't really seem tightly-woven and it doesn't have any real forward action that seems to be driving the plot. But so what? As a mood piece, this makes the perfect midnight movie. It's visually outstanding, able to capture certain colors and images that I haven't even seen Gosling's good friend Nicolas Winding Refn capture. And yes, this film seems to be heavily influenced by him. I hated Only God Forgives because I found it boring, nonsensical, and totally pretentious, with not an ounce of honest artistry. I found Bronson to be sort of entertaining, but also full of itself. I did like Drive though.

Gosling really shows a certain directorial skill here, even if it's really borrowing from Refn's same style. And unlike Refn's last film, despite how "airy" the screenplay is, the film manages to capture a true emotional core. I actually cared about the three lead characters and felt like I was on this ride with them. The film's deeply ambitious, but it also doesn't feel ponderous or pretentious. I felt like it truly touched on something special that, despite how flawed it is, really made it work. It's somewhat messy, somewhat clumsy, yet I thought it was able to rise above that and work as an actual film, and not just great individual scenes without anything holding them together. Hendricks, De Caestecker, and Ronan are really strong as well and all three manage to hit the perfect pitch for the type of film Gosling wanted to make.

So, what can I say? It's going to be really tough seeing the film get as much hate throughout the year, but I hope it's able to get at least a few more fans and I hope Gosling isn't discouraged from making another film because if he was able to touch the notes that he did here despite all of the flaws, he could very well make a masterpiece soon enough. I can't wait to rewatch this.

Ryan Gosling's first rodeo at the Writer/Director's chair was something. The dramatic mystery-fantasy ride that Gosling is taking us on is enchanting but also disturbing.

Lost River first looks like a documentary or an old film but it gets weird real fast. The documentary aspect of it comes from the debt crisis theme the movie has, people choking with debts leaving their homes, deserted neighborhoods and ghost towns but the film goes from a very grounded theme into a phantasmagorical world filled with disturbing dark metaphors with violent and/or dodgy characters.

The music is hypnotic and fits the surrealism atmosphere of the film but it gets annoying real fast. Although it mostly fits the movie, there's almost too much of it, the music is not really helping in the cinematic experience of Lost River.

No matter how you may feel about the movie you can't deny that it's beautifully acted. Ryan Gosling knows how to pick his cast but the one I was most surprised about, was Iain De Caestecker, whose presence and performance was electric. Iain is impressive, from the second he appears on screen everything you need to know about his character is there, you can read it on his face, his attitude and hear it in his voice. He held his own next to Hendricks and Ronan, as it turns out he is incredibly talented.

I know Lost River must be - is - a metaphor but god I need help to figure it out. I may not be doing enough drugs to understand that film or I haven't experience enough of life but it was difficult for me to decipher. A short version of the film would have been fine, great even, but a full feature film, wow that's something.

Lost River is an experience, like any ride in an amusement park it will leave its mark but it doesn't mean that you'll enjoy it. @wornoutspines

Few indie films of late have more effectively captured the inescapable, haunting truth of urban decay in a narrative capacity the way 'Lost River' does. We may hear about it in the news, or occasionally see glimpses of it via online write-ups but are we really getting the whole story? Still, Lost River's eerie tale of a young man and his mother's desperate attempt to hold onto their rapidly decaying home gets under your skin. It's not the kind of story everyone will enjoy, some frankly won't have the stomach for it. Despite it sporting a supremely well written and directed script by Ryan Gosling - with visuals and cinematography that are breathtaking, hypnotic and cryptically gorgeous. The fact that corporate greed is literally wiping out entire towns across the United States is a reality some are just not going to be interested in, but that might be this film's central conceit.

The American Dream is slowly but surely turning into a sad, and devolved nightmare - governed by 'dark subcultures' which seem to be gaining momentum while murder, mass genocide, chaos and destruction continue to reign supreme. This is what's at the twisted heart of 'Lost River.' It also beautifully pays homage to Argento, Bava, Lynch, Tarkovsky and more. Some might feel inclined to make accusations that name actors like Barbara Steele are grossly underused. That may or may not be true, but I'd wager those folks are missing the point. If you're looking for a supremely bizarre, heady, visually striking foray into what some folks will do to hold onto their own little status-quos then this film is not to be missed.