Lost River (2014)

Written and Directed by Ryan Gosling
Starring Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Saoirse Ronan and Matt Smith

A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town. With the local legend that the town is cursed, due to a large section submerged under water by a dam, he sets out to reverse the spell.

In this modern fairy tale, a nearly abandoned city called Lost River keeps the families living within hostage to poverty and unemployment. Filmed entirely in the slums and ruins of the once great parts of Detroit, the entire film feels like an allegory for the plight of the inhabitants of the real-life city as well as an exaggerated, yet entirely true representation of society’s tolerance of violence toward women.

In his directorial debut, Ryan Gosling valiantly tackles these sensitive subjects with this wildly artistic film. The ambition Gosling has is easily found in the first few minutes of the film and remains prevalent throughout.

While I can see why so many of the people who have seen the film find it convoluted and boring, I feel that it has several nuances that make it unique and unlike any other fairy tale I have ever seen.

And with cinematography by Benoît Debie, this is a beautiful film to look at at the very least. Each scene is filled with vibrant colors and amazing composition. Each frame is meticulously orchestrated and captured, making each shot as stunning as the one before, if not more so.

I loved this movie. It is definitely one of those films that you will either love or hate; the audience would probably be divided equally. It is a remarkable, creative, ambitious story with incredible directing. It is definitely worth the watch.

My Rating: 8/10