Review of Lost River (2015) by Brian S — 14 Mar 2016

Flowing down Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, 2015s Lost River, can at first be a very shaky and disruptive ride. Written in the veil of a fantasy-laden journey-much of the experience is pure analogy and the first time writer/director achieves the desired effect of creating a dreamy, otherworldly experience that has its real-world stakes (and problems) firmly in place.

2012s Beasts of the Southern Wild is a quick comparison as both feature modern catastrophic American tragedies as the catalyst of their dreamland and the pairing has similar apocalyptic vistas. Visually, the results are inspired and provide plenty of food for thought but Gosling fumbles on the written narrative.

With heavy splashes of David Lynch and Nicolas Winding Refn, Gosling's apparent love of the abstract is in full embrace within Lost River but unlike those surrealist exhibitors there is a lack of refinement and technique that borders on the obnoxious.

Luckily, Gosling doesn't cross-said borders but what is left is a film that is different enough to stand out and leave an impression and hints at the audacious nature that will reside with its director for future voyages-even though there are some holes in the deck flooding the boat.