Review of Lost River (2015) by Dillinger P — 07 Jun 2015

In an age where the very idea of a film that is neither book, comic, sequel or remake, is completely preposterous, Lost River seems to stick out from the bunch quite a bit, so much so, its kind of pissed a lot of people off.

Here is the thing, I'm not sure why? For those of you not in the know, Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, has been booed, panned, slammed and ignored by just about every commercial outlet. From an outsiders perspective I can honestly see why, the film is extremely alienating, its odd, its not completely coherant and it deals with a smorgishboard of subjects and themes, in such a passive and indie feel that most casual film goers either find completely preposterous or completely self indulgent.

Personally, I loved it, I can see its flaws, I can see the wall it surrounds itself in but much like the heart throb turned every obscure films leading role dream actor, Ryan Gosling actually delivers something, dare I saw fresh, gorgeous and at times quite thought provoking.

Its simple thematically, Bones and his younger brother live in a down trodden Detroit based city called Lost River, a town surrounded by drowned cities, rotting from the core and whats left of it is run by a maniacal man, aptly named Bully.

When their house is put in danger, Billie, Bone's mother, decides to make an extreme career choice in order to pay the bills, while Bones and his neighbour Rat, try to stay low from the clutches of the evil Bully.

Its simple stuff, not much dialogue is needed and the stuff we do get, is very straight forward stuff. Its been said and I wont disagree, that you can see the influences of directors oozing out of every orifice that Lost River has, David Lynch, Nicholas Winding Refn, Alejandro Joderofski, Derek Cianfrance, Dario Argento and many other euro indie flick maestros.

its a bizarre blend of visual and story telling style, that clearly Gosling has came to love and enjoy making and I say good on him. Everyone has their inspiration and without them, many classics wouldnt of even seen the light of day, so to slander a director for choosing to take little moments and feels from his idols, feels slightly cheeky and obnoctious.

The film does feel at one with its tone, pace and story telling method and if Gosling continues down this path and tightens up some minor issues, he could well become a name worth putting up beside the legends previously mentioned.

The cast are all in it for the get go and really sell their characters, at no point was I every going oh look theirs Doctor Who doing a good bad guy performance or Christina Hendricks doing a good job, with the limited amount of back story that the characters have, the acting talent on show here, really go through the process full on to make them their own and its extremely commendable.

Matt Smith is hypnotic and frightening as Bully, carrying an air of suspence every where he goes, hes intimidating, full on, quirky and menacing and totally and utterly does the best job anyone could with a character summary of a bully who runs a down trodden town and is a force not to be reckoned with.

Equally Christina Hendricks puts in a solid and emotional performance as Billie, the mother of Bones, her journey is so subtley portrayed performance wise, that its hard to see the joins, but they are there and very commendable.

Eva Mendez is great also, even though she has very little to do. It is however Saoirse Ronin and Iain De Caestecker, that really sell and attach you to this film, its a subtle, adorable and mystic story the couple lead and watching their relationship unfold not only has its ups and downs, mainly downs, but its got an air of magic about it, which really stops the film becoming stale.

Finally Ben Mendelsohn wandered straight out of the set of a David Lynch movie and kept on rocking, he stinks of disdaine and putrid vibes, that watching him slither round Billie is uncomforting and full on.

Its another layer of torture in this dark but hopeful piece. The camera work is gorgeous, kinetic and hand held with lots of off kilter angles and pacing dynamic shots. The look and grade is excellent, shot in Detroit, it really gets the entire feel right, while still managing to heighten and mystisize.

Its stunning stuff to look at and for that reason alone the film is battered up many points, its gorgeous. Its utterly stunning, natural, real, practical. Its haunting and vibrant and mysterious and disgusting all at the same time.

The films music is also unique and fitting, flowing between euphoric melodies and electro synth, more parralells can be instantly drawn to Winding Refn in these moments, but who gives a shit, it works and it give off a sense of life within the film.

Lost River feels like the rare gem that a small minority are allowed to love and enjoy all its qualities, but will endure a barrage of hell if brought up in debate. That being said, it is not without its flaws.

It is not easy, its not accessable, it doesnt have a linear or easy narrative structure, angles are different, focus shifts from the norm, this is extremely dream like and people are not going to like it, not all people, its just not conventional, it doesnt want you to be forced into loving it, it just wants to exist and if you want to go there you can, but much like Detroit itself, you will either leave with a sense of fufilment or a sense of dread and no desire to ever return.

There arent really any resolving moments, and the 3rd act is over far too quickly, especially the story arc of Bully, throughout the entire film, you get the sense its really going to turn it up to 11, but its over in a heart beat, deflating and leaving us wanting a lot more.

Lost River does really well at looking good and allowing your imagination to wander, but a sprint to the finish line after a slow burn, is not what filled my needs. There is a lot to admire and enjoy here, visually its astounding and the acting is highly commendable, if Gosling can just hone in a little tighter and broaden his scope just slightly wider, we can expect to see wonderful pieces of obscure genius from him in the future, if thats the way he decides to go.

Commendable but not entirely fantastic.