Lost River (film)

Last updated

Lost River
Lost River poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ryan Gosling
Written byRyan Gosling
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Benoît Debie
Edited by
Music by Johnny Jewel [1]
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • May 20, 2014 (2014-05-20)(Cannes)
  • April 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$615,500 [2]

Lost River is a 2014 American fantasy thriller film [3] written, co-produced, and directed by Ryan Gosling, in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Ben Mendelsohn, Barbara Steele, and Eva Mendes. Principal photography began in Detroit on May 6, 2013. The film premiered in competition in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and was released in the United States on April 10, 2015.

Contents

Plot

Single mother Billy lives in a rapidly crumbling Detroit neighborhood with her two sons, the teenaged Bones and toddler Franky. Billy and Bones both dote on Franky but are fairly distant from each other. In his spare time, Bones salvages copper piping from abandoned houses in the neighborhood while trying to avoid a vicious local criminal named Bully, who wants all the copper piping for himself. One day, Bully catches Bones taking piping, which Bones abandons and flees. Later, Bones reclaims the piping from Bully's hiding place and manages to escape from Bully's sidekick, Face.

Billy meets with a banker, Dave, regarding a loan the previous bank manager talked her into so that she could stay in her house, which originally belonged to her grandmother. Since Billy is unemployed, she is unable to repay the bank and must find a way to pay for the house. After their meeting, Dave offers Billy a job, but he leaves out the details of what it is.

A construction crew begins tearing down the vacant houses in the neighborhood. Along with Bones, Billy, and Franky, three of the few remaining residents are Rat, her grandmother, and her pet rat, Nick. Rat's grandmother repeatedly watches her old wedding video out of grief for her husband, who died while constructing a dam. Bones discovers an old road that is overgrown and leads under a lake. While hanging out with Rat, he learns there is an abandoned town under the lake that was flooded when a reservoir was built. Rat says the only way to break the "curse" that is plaguing their neighborhood is to capture a "beast" from the underwater town and bring it to the surface.

Dave's job offer leads Billy to a cabaret downtown, driven there by a friendly taxi driver. She enters to see a show put on by the main performer, Cat. The appeal of the show is a realistically gory "murder" where Cat ostensibly gets stabbed multiple times and has her "blood" spray all over the delighted audience. Billy goes backstage and meets with Cat, who shows her where the real money is made: in the basement. Down there, women stand in locked plastic "shells" while men do whatever they want in their presence.

Rat invites Bones out for "a night on the town." They go dancing at an abandoned high school and imply they would leave town together if it ever came to that. Later, they go to a convenience store and run into Bully and Face, whose lips were cut off by Bully after he let Bones get away. Bones hides from Bully, and to protect Bones, Rat accepts Bully's offer to give her a ride home. Bully walks Rat to her front door and asks her if he can see Nick. He then grabs Nick and then, he brutally kills him in front of her.

Billy has to take Franky to work with her because Bones is out with Rat. For her performance, she makes it look like she is cutting off her face, which excites the audience. She later sits with Dave, who hosts the place and performs a song. He takes Billy and Franky home and makes a pass at Billy but stops when he sees Bones standing outside the car.

Bones drops Billy off at work one night and sees what she has been doing to make money. Unable to help their financial situation anymore by stealing copper piping, he decides he is going to break the aforementioned "curse." He leaves Franky with Rat and goes into the river to cut the head off a dinosaur statue in an old children's park. Meanwhile, Face enters Rat's house and sets it on fire. He dies in the flames as Rat goes to rescue her grandmother, but she is unable to rouse her from her catatonia and leaves with Franky.

Having succeeded in cutting off the dinosaur's head, Bones comes ashore only to find his car has been set on fire. Bully tries to run Bones over with his car, but at the last moment Bones steps out of the way and throws the dinosaur head through Bully's windshield, causing him to crash against the burning car. Bully is thrown from his car, ends up stuck headfirst in the lake, and drowns.

At work, Billy is sealed in a "shell" while Dave performs a sexual dance routine around her. Despite having a button that locks the shell from the inside, Dave has a remote that releases the lock. Billy finally steps out of the chamber, stabs Dave in the ear, and then flees. Billy returns to find her sons and Rat sitting on the steps of their house while Rat's home continues to burn. With the help of the taxi driver, the four of them leave the neighborhood with the dinosaur head strapped to the top of the taxi, concluding the film.

Rat’s home continues to burn in the background as the end credits roll. The background fades to black after a minute, but red smoke from the fire still remains until the credits are over.

Cast

Production

The film was originally titled How to Catch a Monster. In May 2013, scenes were shot at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan. [4]

Music

The musical score for Lost River was composed by Johnny Jewel. [5]

The first official tease of the film's music came on February 3, 2015, when Chromatics issued a single for their song, "Yes (Love Theme from Lost River)", which is featured in the film. Jewel released the soundtrack album on his own label, Italians Do It Better, on March 30, 2015. The soundtrack features music from the score, as well as songs from the film by Glass Candy, Chromatics, Desire, and Symmetry, as well as songs sung by Saoirse Ronan and Ben Mendelsohn, who star in the film. The song "Tell Me", sung by Ronan, was featured in the first episode of the 2017 television series Riverdale and in the eighth episode for the third season of Killing Eve . The soundtrack was released on CD, digitally, and as a limited 3xLP on purple vinyl. [6]

Release

The film premiered on May 20, 2014, at the Cannes Film Festival, [7] where it was met with a mixed reception from the audience. [8] Warner Bros. Pictures, the U.S. distributor of the film, [9] was subsequently reported to be considering selling its distribution rights to another studio. [10] The film was released simultaneously in select theaters in the United States and through video on demand platforms on April 10, 2015. [9] [11]

Lost River was part of the SXSW Film Festival in March 2015 in Austin, Texas. [12] [13]

An airing of the film by the Asian FX network on February 13, 2017, led to Indonesia's Broadcasting Commission giving the network a five-day sanction from April 10–14 where it was prohibited for broadcasting due to unapproved sensitive content. [14]

Critical reception

Lost River received mixed reviews at the time of its release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 31%, based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 4.60/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Lost River suggests that debuting writer-director Ryan Gosling may have a bright future as a filmmaker, but it doesn't hold together well enough to recommend on its own merit." [15] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 42 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [16]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian stated that the film is "colossally indulgent, shapeless, often fantastically and unthinkingly offensive and at all times insufferably conceited". [17] Kate Muir of The Sunday Times described the film as "a lurid mash up of Lynch, Refn and Edward Hopper. In a bad way." [18] Robbie Collin of The Telegraph called the film "dumbfoundingly poor" and stated that Gosling "confuses 'making film' with 'assembling Tumblr of David Lynch & Mario Bava gifs'". [19] . French film critics grant real curiosity to this first movie, while identifying certain weaknesses. [20] [21]

By 2016, the film had begun to receive a more positive opinion from fans of the surreal fantasy genre. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Gosling</span> Canadian actor (born 1980)

Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor who has appeared in numerous independent films and major studio features. His films have grossed of over $1.9 billion worldwide, and he has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and has been nominated for three Academy Awards and two BAFTAs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Steele</span> British actress (born 1937)

Barbara Steele is an English film actress known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. She has been referred to as the "Queen of All Scream Queens" and "Britain's first lady of horror". She played the dual role of Asa and Katia Vajda in Mario Bava's landmark film Black Sunday (1960), and starred in The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962), The Long Hair of Death (1964), and Castle of Blood (1964).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Mendes</span> American actress (born 1974)

Eva de la Caridad Méndez, known professionally as Eva Mendes, is an American retired actress. Her acting career began in the late 1990s, with a series of roles in films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) and Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000).

<i>The Lovely Bones</i> (film) 2009 film by Peter Jackson

The Lovely Bones is a 2009 supernatural drama film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay he co-wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. It is based on Alice Sebold's 2002 novel of the same name and stars Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, and Saoirse Ronan. The plot follows a girl who is murdered and watches over her family from "the in-between" and is torn between seeking vengeance on her killer and allowing her family to heal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saoirse Ronan</span> American-born Irish actress (born 1994)

Saoirse Una Ronan is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards and five British Academy Film Awards.

Benoît Debie is a Belgian cinematographer. He is best known for his work on his frequent collaboration with Gaspar Noe, started in Irréversible (2002). He also works on feature including The Runaways (2010) and Spring Breakers (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italians Do It Better</span> Independent record label

Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in Portland and West Hollywood. It was started by Johnny Jewel and Mike Simonetti on July 20, 2006, to focus on Jewel's projects Glass Candy and Chromatics and later Desire, Symmetry and Mirage, in addition to other artists from prior releases. Genres from the label have been described as contributing to the synth-pop, post-punk, and Italo-disco revivals. They have released three label compilations, 'After Dark' (2007), 'After Dark 2' (2013), 'After Dark 3' (2020), and 'After Dark 4' (2022), all of which feature music from their roster.

The Detroit Film Critics Society is a film critic organization based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 2007, and comprises a group of over twenty film critics. To become a member, the critic must have reviewed at least twelve films a year in an established publication, with no more than two different critics per publication admitted. It presents annual awards at the end of the year, for the best films of the preceding year.

<i>Hanna</i> (film) 2011 film by Joe Wright

Hanna is a 2011 action thriller film directed by Joe Wright. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as the title character, a girl raised in the wilderness of northern Finland by her father, an ex-CIA operative, who trains her as an assassin. Cate Blanchett portrays a senior CIA agent who tries to track down and eliminate the girl and her father. The soundtrack was written by The Chemical Brothers.

<i>Drive</i> (2011 film) 2011 American action drama film

Drive is a 2011 American action drama film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The screenplay, written by Hossein Amini, is based on James Sallis's 2005 novel of the same name. The film stars Ryan Gosling as an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. He quickly grows fond of his neighbor, Irene, and her young son, Benicio. When her debt-ridden husband, Standard, is released from prison, the two men take part in what turns out to be a botched million-dollar heist that endangers the lives of everyone involved. The film co-stars Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, and Albert Brooks.

<i>Only God Forgives</i> 2013 film by Nicolas Winding Refn

Only God Forgives is a 2013 action film written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and stars Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm. It was shot on location in Bangkok, Thailand, and as with the director's earlier film Drive it was also dedicated to Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain De Caestecker</span> Scottish actor

Iain De Caestecker is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying Leopold Fitz/The Doctor in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020). He is also known for his roles in Coronation Street (2001–2003) as Adam Barlow and the films Shell (2012), In Fear (2013), Not Another Happy Ending (2013), Lost River (2014), and Overlord (2018).

Emory Isaac Cohen is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in Afterschool (2008). He is best known for his roles as AJ Cross in Derek Cianfrance's film The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Tony Fiorello in John Crowley's film Brooklyn (2015), and Homer in the Netflix series The OA (2016).

<i>Brooklyn</i> (film) 2015 film directed by John Crowley

Brooklyn is a 2015 romantic period drama film directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Colm Tóibín. A co-production between the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, it stars Saoirse Ronan in the lead role, with Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters in supporting roles. The plot follows Eilis Lacey, a young Irishwoman who immigrates to Brooklyn in the early 1950s to find employment. After building a life there, she is drawn back to her home town of Enniscorthy and has to choose where she wants to forge her future. Principal photography began in April 2014 with three weeks of filming in Ireland, which were followed by four weeks in Montreal, Quebec; only two days of filming took place in Brooklyn, one of which was spent at the beach in Coney Island.

<i>The Nice Guys</i> 2016 American film by Shane Black

The Nice Guys is a 2016 American neo-noir buddy action comedy film directed by Shane Black, who co-wrote the screenplay with Anthony Bagarozzi. The film stars Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in the title roles, with Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, and Kim Basinger appearing in supporting roles. Set in 1977 Los Angeles, the film focuses on private eye Holland March (Gosling) and tough enforcer for hire Jackson Healy (Crowe) who team up to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl (Qualley).

<i>The Seagull</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

The Seagull is a 2018 American historical drama film directed by Michael Mayer with a screenplay by Stephen Karam, based on the 1896 play of the same name by Anton Chekhov. The film stars Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan, Corey Stoll, Elisabeth Moss, Mare Winningham, Jon Tenney, Glenn Fleshler, Michael Zegen, Billy Howle and Brian Dennehy. Filming began in June 2015 in New York City and the world premiere took place at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2018, prior to general release on May 11, 2018, through Sony Pictures Classics.

<i>On Chesil Beach</i> (film) 2017 British film

On Chesil Beach is a 2017 British drama film directed by Dominic Cooke and written by Ian McEwan, who adapted his own 2007 Booker Prize-nominated novella of the same name. It stars Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle and tells the story of virgins, Florence and Edward, and their first disastrous attempt at having sex on their wedding night. The initial experience and their differing responses to the failure have lifelong consequences for both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen O'Higgins</span> Irish actress

Eileen O'Higgins is an Irish actress. Her breakthrough role was in the play Hold Your Tongue, Hold Your Dead which led to a supporting role in the film Brooklyn (2015) and Mary Queen of Scots (2018).

<i>Ammonite</i> (film) 2020 film by Francis Lee

Ammonite is a 2020 romantic drama film written and directed by Francis Lee. The film is loosely inspired by the life of British palaeontologist Mary Anning, played by Kate Winslet. The film centres on a speculative romantic relationship between Anning and Charlotte Murchison, played by Saoirse Ronan. Gemma Jones, James McArdle, Alec Secăreanu and Fiona Shaw also star.

<i>The Fall Guy</i> (2024 film) Film by David Leitch

The Fall Guy is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce, loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, with Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, and Stephanie Hsu in supporting roles.

References

  1. ↑ Battan, Carrie (July 23, 2013). "Johnny Jewel Talks About His Upcoming Film Projects, Including Ryan Gosling's Directorial Debut". Pitchfork . Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Lost River (2015)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ Perlman, Jake (May 19, 2014). "'Lost River' teaser: First look at fantasy thriller from Ryan Gosling". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  4. ↑ "'How To Catch A Monster' filming locations in Detroit on May 17, 20, & 21 in Detroit, Plus more fan photos!". On Location Vacations. May 17, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ "'Lost River' Soundtrack Released". Film Music Reporter. March 30, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ Lantinen, Christopher (May 11, 2015). "'Lost River' soundtrack coming to vinyl". Modern Vinyl. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ "2014 Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  8. ↑ Hammond, Pete (May 20, 2014). "Cannes: Ryan Gosling Faces A Critical Firing Squad After Directing Debut; Steve Carell Talks Oscar". Deadline Hollywood . This is the first film this year where I heard boos, but to be fair there were some cheers mixed in. One wag called it 'choos'.
  9. 1 2 McNary, Dave (December 29, 2014). "Ryan Gosling's 'Lost River' Will Get Day-and-Date VOD Release". Variety . Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  10. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 21, 2014). "Cannes: Warner Bros. Talking To Indie Distributors About Ryan Gosling's 'Lost River'". Deadline Hollywood.
  11. ↑ Han, Angie (February 3, 2015). "Lost River Trailer: Ryan Gosling Makes His Directorial Debut". /Film . Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  12. ↑ Barton, Steve (February 3, 2015). "Ryan Gosling's Lost River Trailer Found; Film to Screen at 2015 SXSW". Dread Central . Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  13. ↑ "SXSW Film Festival 2015 Lineup". SXSW. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  14. ↑ "KPI Jatuhkan Sanksi pada Saluran Asing FX". Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Lost River (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Lost River". Metacritic . Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  17. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (May 20, 2014). "Cannes review: Lost River – Ryan Gosling flounders with directorial debut". The Guardian . Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Lost River reviews roundup: Cannes pours scorn on Ryan Gosling". The Guardian. May 20, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  19. ↑ Adams, Sam (May 20, 2014). "Ryan Gosling's Directorial Debut, 'Lost River,' Is a 'Film Maudit Crapocalypse'". IndieWire . Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  20. ↑ Murat, Pierre (May 21, 2016). "Lost River - Film de Ryan Gosling (USA, 2014)". Télérama .
  21. ↑ Marques, Sandrine (April 5, 2015). "« Lost River » : la ville fantôme de Ryan Gosling". Le Monde .
  22. ↑ Sherman, Isaiah (January 13, 2016). "Before "HAP AND LEONARD": Top 5 Christina Hendricks Movies". Sundance TV. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.