Lost River Review

It isn't every night. I can't really say how often it happens, but occasionally while attempting to succumb to the serenity of the silence and the comfort of my bed I think about how jealous I am of the younger version of me. There was a time when instead of my mind racing due to stress, it was reaping the benefits of a blossoming imagination. Instead of seeing society through a cynical set of eyes and fearing the unknown, I was off somewhere building worlds from the ground up. I was hopeful of discovering the impossible and finding a way to make it possible. 

I used to dream of literally flying above the earth majestically and I would wake up feeling relaxed and free. I once swam down into my subconscious through an underwater world and I can still recall the vivid detail my mind created out of nothingness. While I still feel young as I approach my 31st birthday, I close my eyes each night only to open them soon after with nothing to analyze in between. Sleep is mandatory and a welcome escape from a hectic and frustrating day but I miss the transition from real to surreal. Lost River made me feel like I was dreaming again.

Premiering last year at the Cannes film festival, I remember eagerly anticipating the first wave of reactions after the debut screening of Lost River and when they came, they hit hard. Reports of aggressive boos came flooding out and they garnered a special level of attention due to the director, the handsome slice of sexy that is an absolute star in front of the camera yet completely unproven behind it known as Ryan Gosling. Some may hear about such angry reactions and then notice the low approval ratings on an aggregate site like Rotten Tomatoes and instantly write a film like this off, but I have learned my lesson in this regard. Two years ago, Nicolas Winding Refn unleashed Only God Forgives at Cannes and it was met with a similar, unfortunate response from critics and audiences alike, and yet I consider that work a masterpiece after three viewings. Therefore, I approached Lost River with a feeling of cautious optimism.

Once again I am left puzzled by the overwhelming negative response of a Cannes failure because I quickly fell victim to the dreamy, magical spell cast over me by Lost River. One of the main complaints I have noticed from the films detractors is that it doesn't really have an original idea of its own, that Gosling borrows heavily from previous auteurs such as David Lynch or the aforementioned Refn and it is impossible for me to argue this point, yet it didn't trouble me in the slightest. While his influences are apparent, Gosling directs the hell out of this film and clearly has a confident, gifted eye behind the camera. Constantly throughout the movie I was picking up on the true detail in a frame, the usage of color and light going on in the background and to say I was impressed is a major understatement. 

I wasn't so much swept away by the narrative of Lost River, although I also don't think it is a flaw like many have made it out to be. It was without a doubt the technical achievements of this film that sprinkled their fairy dust over me early and often. Director of Photography Benoit Debie brings such vibrancy and life to the picture with the neon hues that make even the most normal set piece feel a bit surreal, and the musical score by Johnny Jewel perfectly suits the material, as its enigmatic and haunting tones pulled me in a little deeper and danced through my ears long after the film was over. 

Inside the setting of this film lies a misogynistic underworld that is without a doubt haunting, but the authenticity of these characters normal lives was the aspect of Lost River that I truly can't shake. I often see the world solely through my own eyes, selfishly ignoring that there are real places just like the location presented where real people live. Homes torn down, a displaced community that is treated like a lesser form of life and talked down to by far more fortunate people. It's a difficult pill to swallow. They casually discuss the possibility that losing their way of life might be a blessing in disguise as if the American dream awaits elsewhere, as if a drive south down a highway will lead to more aesthetically pleasing circumstances. Lost River tells the story of those people who aren't pursuing the American dream, but rather prefer the normalcy and familiarity or their surroundings. These aren't the people that lost their way because of a recession but rather those that never truly found their way in the first place. 

The people in Lost River are real and they are out there, struggling to survive because at any moment their lives will literally be torn down in front of them. Ryan Gosling takes their sympathetic tale and delivers it as a fantasy neo-noir, and his vision should be celebrated rather than admonished. I can only hope the negativity that surrounds his debut effort doesn't dissuade him from continuing to explore his potential even further. 

Later tonight before I close my eyes I will hope to drift off down Lost River as I sleep. If Gosling is available to direct what resides in my subconscious, sign me up.

4.5/5

100 Favorite Films - #60 - #51

A continuation of my list counting down my 100 favorite films of all time.


60. Rope (1948)

When the name Alfred Hitchcock is mentioned, instantly the mind races through classics like Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and The Birds, and understandably so, but Rope is a masterful film that seems to not get enough credit. During the very first scene of the movie, we witness a murder, a tragedy for no real purpose beyond the thrill the two killers get from doing it.

While the story taking place on screen is chilling enough, the innovative style of Rope is part of the reason I fell totally in love with it. Hitchcock used a series of long takes, each roughly ten minutes in length, and then the picture was edited in a way that it appears as if the camera never once cuts. It as if we are a fly on the wall and were able to witness something deranged, and the camera pans around and brings us incredible frames that bring exactly what we need to see into focus at that moment. A masterpiece of tension building and technical wonder.


59. Rashomon (1950)

For the most part I am still shamefully unfamiliar with the work of Akira Kurosawa, but Rashomon is one I know very well and a film that has left a powerful mark on cinema as a whole. The structure of the storytelling was game changing at the time, as the plot revolves around multiple people telling their differing version of events regarding the same incident, and the end result is a remarkable film about morality and the untrustworthy nature of storytelling.


58. Baraka (1992)

No narrative, no voiceover, yet nothing short of spectacular. Baraka is a documentary film that explores themes with surprising depth and clarify despite merely being a series of powerful imagery from across the world. The themes being explored need no explanation because if you are watching closely, they will reveal themselves in meaningful, unforgettable ways.


57. Fargo (1996)

The Coen brothers have mastered the art of crafting films that are both dark comedies and thematically rich dramas, and Fargo is a sublime example of this. At times jarringly heartbreaking yet also hilariously scripted and performed, Fargo manages to deliver a little bit of everything over the course of 98 incredible minutes.


56. Inception (2010)

Ultra ambitious and massive in scope, Christopher Nolan transitioned from Gotham to a science fiction marvel involving the ability to enter dreams and thus alter real life. I remember vividly how in love with the Inception trailer I was, practically watching it on repeat for months leading up to its summer release. The actual film did not disappoint.


55. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Instantly I knew I was in love with Mulholland Drive yet if you would have asked me why after the first time I saw it, the answer would have been similar to "It's creepy and weird and I love it." Vague, sure, but the picture is so confounding I still to this day find it difficult to put into words what I extract from the experience. What David Lynch crafted here is likely not something often referred to as "mediocre" or "average", because it has all the makings of a polarizing work that you either cherish or admonish for its abstract nature. Count me among those that hold it in high regard.



54. Donnie Darko (2001)

Speaking of head scratching cinema, from the very same year as Mulholland Drive comes my next film, Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. A very young Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead role as Donnie, and the film revolves around his search for meaning and understanding after experiencing bizarre visions warning him of an approaching Doomsday. The most often reaction to this film after a first viewing is also to search for meaning and understanding, and it took a few revisits for me to form an opinion of what actually occurs in the end. I find Donnie Darko to be a meaningful and fascinating cinematic journey.



53. Gone Girl (2014)

My Review of Gone Girl

If it weren't such a recently released film, I honestly might have it ranked even higher, but it demands a second viewing for me to cement down my initial thoughts, which were that this is quite possibly the finest work by director David Fincher to date. Gone Girl is a dark, gloomy, beautifully made thriller that also serves as a very clever satire of both the struggles of marital life and of the landscape of American media. I was wrapped up in this one from beginning to end, and Rosamund Pike is a revelation, a performance that reminded me of a perfect combination of old and new Hollywood. I feel like she both could scare the piss out of me here yet also time travel to 60 years ago and star along side Jimmy Stewart in a Hitchcock film. So good.



52. Hana-Bi (Fireworks) (1997)

Written by, directed by, edited by and starring Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, the man does it all and what he poured his heart and soul into is a beautiful film called Hana-Bi, released in the United States under the title Fireworks. Kitano plays a cop named Nishi who feels compelled to quit the force after his partner is badly injured during an incident and is relegated to a wheelchair. With his retirement, Nishi now has the time to look after his ailing wife Miyuki who is fighting a battle with leukemia, and the film explores their relationship along with the added tension of Nishi owing money to the Yakuza with no means to pay them back.

This is a film I credit for my love of cinema, as I saw it at a time when I didn't understand what an art form the medium could be, and Hana-Bi really opened my eyes.



51. Back to the Future (1985)

What do I really need to say about this one? A blast to the past from director Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future is a film I was raised on since childhood, a VHS tape that I wore down from so many viewings. The film was and continues to be a massive success and it deserves it, as it remains an important piece of pop culture and a quotable, beloved film even roughly thirty years later.

50 down, 50 to go. Above is an image from a film that will appear on my next list of ten.