Lost River
Director: Ryan Gosling
Year Released: 2014
Rating: 1.5
In apocalyptic Detroit, a Mom (Christina Hendricks) tries to survive along with her two sons, so for money her oldest (Iain De Caestecker) steals copper from abandoned houses (which irritates local sociopath Bully, played ferociously by Matt Smith) and she goes to work at a macabre theatre ('managed' by Ben Mendelsohn). Some allowances need to be made for Gosling as a first time director - this is horribly underwritten and trite as commentary on living in poverty - however it does have a strong visual sense, thanks in large part to Benoît Debie's extraordinary cinematography. More than anything, it shows just how many filmmakers have influenced Gosling - the work of Lynch, Winding Refn, Malick and Korine can all be found in this - but if he's going to continue to work as a filmmaker, he needs to develop his own style.
