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Lost River

Play trailer Poster for Lost River R Released Apr 10, 2015 1h 45m Fantasy Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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30% Tomatometer 76 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A single mother is swept into a dark underworld while her son discovers an underwater town.
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Lost River

Lost River

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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Jason Bailey Flavorwire While 'Lost River' might not be a model of narrative efficiency, it's got more striking moments and memorable images than a season of studio product. May 28, 2016 Full Review Peter Keough Boston Globe Everything ... is painfully obvious or patently nonsensical. May 14, 2015 Full Review Brad Wheeler Globe and Mail Indulgent and movie-like, Lost River is Gosling's weird, let's-do-this-thing folly. If it is a statement, it is one made by borrowing the vivid styles of the actual filmmakers he seems to admire ... Rated: 1.5/4 Apr 24, 2015 Full Review Diego Batlle Otroscines.com The beauty that emerges between the squalor of the place and the excellent art design is not enough to redeem a decidedly unsuccessful film. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 1./5 Oct 17, 2023 Full Review Jordan Brooks Vague Visages "Like a pilfered Fabergé egg, Ryan Gosling’s freshman effort, 'Lost River,' is a sight to behold but completely hollow beneath its bejeweled veneer." Aug 3, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Gosling seems preoccupied with the look of his film more than its substance. His vague ideas about moral and existential decomposition inhabit a cumbersome viewing experience that remains admirable at times, but never engaging. Rated: 2/4 Jun 21, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jordan W I like Ryan Gosling’s weirdo dreamlink attempt to replicate Nicolas Winding Refn’s most pretentious filmmaking gimmicks. Lost River is a very bizarre movie but never particularly boring. The movie got so interesting and inventive at a point that I completely forgot this was written and directed by Ryan Gosling. And that counts for something in my book. The man definitely knows how to built atmosphere. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/22/24 Full Review Zachariah B It’s really something; I saw Gozzie’s Lost River one night when I was just about asleep on the couch. It was 3:30 a.m. and I was flicking through the shows and infomercials and somehow stopped on this film. It had just started. From that moment, and until this bizarre tale ended , I was transfixed. The music was so weird and unique, but fit the narrative like nothing I’d ever seen before. And Mattreuyoo Smitty is absolutely astonishing as the big bad; riding around in a throne on top of a moving Cadillac. Or was it a Lincoln Continental?? This movie is literally like a dream. It is. And it’s beautiful. People will say Gozzie is ripping off Lynch or Bunuel or whoever made films like this before. But don’t you listen to them. It’s fresh. Original. And highly evocative. ps the Aussie Ben Mendalorian is also unbelievable in this film. 8.5/10 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/05/24 Full Review Meg W Everyone's a critic, but this film evoked exactly the emotions I know it intended to. I'm now left sitting in a post-Lost-River melancholy, contemplating the desire for a home of our own, and all the debts which when they're spent, keep us from ever feeling like we truely belong. When "the man" comes to collect, he rapes us of our dignity and purity, all for the sake of a patch of dirt and the wood and nails to match. We are coersed into deals with the devil, and when he leaves town, we're left with nothing but trinket-rubbish, ash in our mouths and rats to call friends. The only thing which might save us, are thoughts of fictional worlds, of spells and hidden treasures. Only to lunge us into the abyss regardless, and leave us searching for the life we thought we had already won. Sure this film is about Detroit, but it's about so, so much more. I wasn't a fan of Gosling's before, but I sure as hell am now. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/01/23 Full Review Robert Z If you enjoyed gummo, tideland, or welcome to the dollhouse this movie will satisfy you. A good reminder to look at what you are hanging on to at the cost that comes with it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/23 Full Review Simon S Surreal tragedy of love in the middle of lost places. Cunning story of conquering the monster. Magic score composed by Johnny Jewel. Shine on, Ryan! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/06/23 Full Review Leah N Seriously misrepresented- This movie was visually interesting, heartfelt, and beautiful all the way around. I related to the characters' stories of wanting desperately to hold on to their past, and the suspense made me feel like I was right there with them. The dreamlike music helped to drive that feeling home. Many reviews led me to believe this would be overly dark and without hope, which made it so much more exciting when I saw those reviews turned out to be wrong. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Lost River

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A single mother is swept into a dark underworld while her son discovers an underwater town.
Director
Ryan Gosling
Producer
David Lancaster, Michel Litvak, Marc Platt, Ryan Gosling, Adam Siegel, Jeffrey Stott
Screenwriter
Ryan Gosling
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Marc Platt Productions, Bold Films, Phantasma Films
Rating
R (Language|Disturbing Violent Images|Some Sexual Content)
Genre
Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 10, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 15, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$45.4K
Runtime
1h 45m
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