Lost River

Ryan Gosling wrote and directed a fine first film, a tale about ordinary people surrounded by myth and decay, in an almost abandoned town in Michigan. However, the movie was submitted to the wrong film festival: you know, Cannes means tough competition and the French can be haughty. With the tone of an apocalyptic fable, «Lost River» would have been more appreciated in specialized events, as the fantasy film festivals celebrated in Porto, Neuchâtel, Brussels, Málaga, Roma, Amsterdam, Gérardmer, Puchon, Austin or Buenos Aires. «Lost River» strongly belongs in those festivals and it could have been awarded with several prizes: first work by a new director, for its cinematography, screenplay, or for a couple of good performances. Handled by Warner Brothers, the company did not know what to do with this motion picture, so it considered "selling the distribution rights to another company" and finally decided to limit its exposure to on- demand exhibitions. Or simply put: it just decided to kill it.

«Lost River» belongs to a special lineage of American films that portrait people and places of the United States that are often ignored or mistreated in mainstream cinema by filmmakers without any compassion or understanding of their situation: see how Alan Parker portrayed poverty in Mississippi, with a "chic touch" in the deplorable «Angel Heart». I refer to a lineage as old as King Vidor's «Street Scene», to Robert Altman's «Thieves Like Us», David Lynch's «Blue Velvet», Michael Moore's «Roger & Me», and many other independent films that came to my mind, as Harmony Korine's «Gummo», Jeff Nichols' «Mud», Daniel Patrick Carbone's «Hide Your Smiling Faces» and Kat Candler's «Hellion».

As an individual of these times, Gosling was audio-visually formed from watching television and films since childhood, so he wrote a fragmented script, but it does have a linear Aristotelian plot with well-defined three acts, precise plot points, a satisfying resolution and well-structured (and a few fascinating) characters. In the story a single mother (Christina Hendricks) tries to save her childhood home and keep her little family united (she and her two sons) in the dying town of Lost River. To do so she takes a job offer from a bank manager (Ben Mendelsohn) in a night club from hell, where the main attraction (Eva Mendes) dances to "Moliendo café" as sung by Lucho Gatica, to be suddenly beaten and killed by a hoodlum and spread her blood on the audience (all as part of the show). In this way the mother enters a sordid and morbid sector of society (imagine that all clients are Dennis Hoppers from «Blue Velvet» times 50, plus the naked and masked bourgeoisie of «Eyes Wide Shut»).

Simultaneously her adolescent son (Iain de Caestecker) tries to help her by extracting and selling pieces of copper found in derelict buildings, which are claimed by a psychopath (Matt Smith) who controls what is left of the town. As he runs from the guy, the boy incidentally discovers a submerged town in a lake, and his girlfriend neighbor (Saoirse Ronan) tells him that her grandmother (Barbara Steele) --who decided to remain silent when her husband died-- predicted that the day someone brings a fragment of the lost town to the surface, Lost River will be freed from a curse.

Although what is being told is very violent in spirit (and overtly so in some scenes), Gosling moved his story with a smooth and gentle pace, unfolding the tale in a calm manner, rarely unaltered, which brings me to my only objection, a factor that did alter this tone of serenity: the music score by Johnny Jewel. Not because it is bad music, but for being unnecessary in most of the cases. This is not only a problem in Gosling's film, but in almost all movies, especially in American productions. Filmmakers seem to mistrust the power of the images they create and allow composers, editors and sound crew to overemphasize what is obvious. Besides Jewel's cues are too short and have a spasmodic effect: they accentuate a phrase, an expression, an action, and then fade until the next reaction. But fortunately the film transcends this limitation.

As you watch «Lost River», it is true that you may remember one or two works from Lynch or Nicolas Winding Refn, but I do not see the point of making a fuss about this, when all filmmakers, from Woody Allen to Brian De Palma, show their influences and no one complains. They are even exalted because of copying Ingmar Bergman or Alfred Hitchcock. This said, as a whole «Lost River» is a satisfying motion picture, with good performances by all: even in a silento role Barbara Steele is remarkable. Forget what some say about «Lost River» and watch it. You will like it.

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.

Beware, this movie is quite dark and disturbing. It has a certain Terry Gilliam feel about it, although it goes deeper and touches the dark bottom of your soul. It is beautifully shot, has a constant subtle tension and very good music. Although the story is rather predictable it reminded me of the greatest epic tales of mankind.

Very rich and creative debut. Good actors and superb camera work, settings and effects.

The movie feels like a true nightmare sometimes, don't be fooled, though - it is not a classical horror movie or thriller. It is more like a dark dream put onto celluloid. You see lots of blood and some violence, still it will not work for typical fans of guts and gore movies.

Real cinema.

Warner Brothers is one of the best movie studios in the business. Putting out controversial movies such as, A Clockwork Orange, Natural Born Killers & One Eight Seven, it's clear that this is a studio that likes to takes risks with films. They prove it yet again with the directorial debut of Hollywood heartthrob, Ryan Gosling's art house flick, Lost River. I'll start by saying this about the film; it is absolutely gorgeous to look at. Gosling has an eye for camera placement and style, taking a page out of the David Lynch School of directing. Unfortunately that's where the praise stops, as this is one boring and rather pointless movie. The story centers on a single mom played by Christina Hendricks, (Mad Men) who lives in a virtually abandoned city of Lost River, with her two kids, one of which has run afoul of the local gangster played by Matt Smith. (Dr. Who) A Gangster so mean that it's widely know throughout the community his love for cutting off peoples lips who cross him. In the end it's clear that Gosling wants to shed his pretty boy persona and come across as more intellectual and thoughtful. Hopefully the next time he decides to get behind the camera he has a better script to film.

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.