Lost River is Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut…

Director: Ryan Gosling
Starring: Christina Hendricks,Saoirse Ronan, Iain deCaestecker, Matt Smith,Reda Kateb, Barbara Steele, Eva Mendes
Rating: 12A
Running time: 105 mins
Release date: Out now

LOST RIVER is a feature film directorial debut by actor Ryan Gosling and the it tells the story of the titular town that is being abandoned by its residents. There are no more jobs. The people who remain strip abandoned houses for copper to try to get enough money together so that they can also leave.

From the introduction it is obvious that this film is a stunning enigma. The shots of the environment around these characters are flawless, but why is the environment the way it is? We see a city in ruins, the outskirts of the city appear to also be completely abandoned. The shots of a whole landscape that has been deserted when it should be full of life inspires an odd reaction, it looks very isolated and strange.

Even more questions are raised when we see that there are a couple of unfortunate people still living in this place, one person is leaving giving the reason that he wants to live, warning our main character to get out while he still can. We soon catch on to the idea that Matt Smith‘s character is the self-proclaimed owner of this town and all of the materials in it. One of the materials that the town is rich in is copper, which our hero is trying to harvest to sell and pay the rent for his family.

However, the big question remains: What is this strange town and how did it get like this? The desire for an answer keeps the audience’s attention, full and undivided.

This movie is clearly very well written, the dialogue is strange, but gripping. What I mean by strange is that characters speak in a very odd style sometimes repeating themselves, or saying effectively the same thing a number of times in a different way each time.

Smith was an excellent choice for the role of Bully, he puts on a genuinely unnerving performance. The movie takes an almost fairytale style turn when our hero who is being chased by Bully’s goons finds a river with street lights reaching up out of the water. The main character looking out over the river, with the street lamps craning out of the water and the vivid colours of the trees is an interesting visual.

A multitude of interesting ideas combined with fascinating world building and stunning visuals make for a compelling watch. The fictional world of LOST RIVER is something you want to spend time in. The most enjoyable side of this film is when we get to explore more of this beautiful and weird area.

The soundtrack is very effective, it is a sort of psychedelic buzzing and ringing, droning electrical instruments give off a certain futuristic feel that complements the imagery of neon lights in the town at night. The best way to describe the score is being reminiscent of the BLADE RUNNER soundtrack. Perhaps even an Imagine Dragons song, they would actually be a great choice for the soundtrack of this film.

I adore the style of this movie, it has so many different elements blended into one that create an intoxicating experience of bright lights, odd visuals and beautifully futuristic music.

I must admit, I assumed there would be some kind of supernatural element to LOST RIVER, that is what it felt like it was building to. However, perhaps that is intentional, LOST RIVER is supposed to be strange with nuances in the world that do not have an explanation. It is a super stylised form of reality, things never get too absurd, it is always strays on the borderline of fantasy.

It is its own, unapologetically absurd world with its unique style, a fun and adventurous watch.

Verdict

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