Starring: Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestaecker, Eva Mendes, Saoirse Ronan, Matt Smith
Lost River
Director: Ryan Gosling
Rating: 2/5
Ryan Gosling is one of the most exciting actors of his generation and has been enjoying huge success in front of the camera for many years. I don't know about you, but it seemed only a matter of time until he made the transition into the director's chair.
That time has come as Lost River is finally here, almost a year after it premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. However, the film has not been met well on the festival circuit and the excitement that was surrounding Gosling's debut when it was announced as dimmed a little.
Set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city, Billy (Hendricks) a single mother of two, is swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son Bones (Caestecker) discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. Both Billy and Bones must dive deep into the mystery if their family is to survive.
There is no denying that Lost River is one of the most unique and original movies that you will see this year and that this is a very brave debut movie from the writer and director.
I admire the boldness of the story and the look of the film, as Gosling has not been afraid to experiment with Lost River and make the kind of film that he wanted to make. Believe me when I say, he has not bowed to studio pressure and made a movie that is commercially more acceptable.
However, while Gosling gets points from balls, and originality, that doesn't mean that the director pulled off what he was trying to achieve.
I wouldn't go as far to call it a complete jumbled mess, but there are times when the story seems to get lost and confused and other times you wonder what the hell it is that you are watching.
Having said that, there is something great about watching a director find his way as a filmmaker - Gosling is clearly trying to find his style as a director and a storyteller with Lost River. His weakness lies in the script as he has failed to deliver a coherent and free flowing story - the movie feels like a series of moments rather than a script where everything fits well together.
While Lost River doesn't quite live up to the lofty expectations that we were expecting from Gosling, this movie does show that he has real promise as a filmmaker.
The next couple of years are going to be interesting; are we going to see him spend more time in front of the camera or behind it? I would also like to see him bring other people's scripts to the big screen.
You can see that Gosling has been inspired by the likes of Nicolas Winding Refn and David Lynch, but Lost River is a little bit style over substance.