Lost River

Dir: Ryan Gosling

2015

*****

I was thrilled and impressed with Ryan Gosling's Lost River from start to finish. His spectacular debut was met with harsh criticism from the critics who really only pointed out that his clear influences were from recognizable sources. Indeed, you can see elements of David Lynch, Mario Brava and Nicolas Roeg and also directors Gosling has worked with, including Derek Cianfrance and Nicolas Winding Refn. However, this is a truly original piece of cinema. I wonder if the criticism would be as harsh had his influences been a little less well known. Surely it tells us that Gosling isn't just a pretty face, he learns from the people he works with, is passionate about cinema and is growing as a film maker. I read a review in a national newspaper that stated that the film was 'dumbfoundingly poor' without really explaining why. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's a little bit out there but personally I found it to be an exciting exercise in existential symbolism but certainly not beyond the reach of the mainstream audience. It is visually stunning. I repeat, stunning. Its okay to prefer the films of David Lynch or Nicolas Winding Refn but credit is due. Set in the abandoned suburbs of Detroit, it is a rather relevant and quite poignant exploration of being lost and what the word lost really means. Iain De Caestecker is fast becoming an actor to watch and Saoirse Ronan goes from strength to strength. My only criticism is that I didn't think much of Matt Smith but then I never do. Christina Hendricks subdued performance was a nice surprise and Ben Mendelsohn is intensely brilliant as always. Eva Mendes is really only there because she looks good and is Gosling's lover but she is good in the few scenes she is in. If I made a list of cinema's most impressive directional debuts then Lost River and Gosling might just be on it, somewhere in the teens I'd imagine, it's that impressive.