Lost River (2014)

A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.

Director:

Ryan Gosling

Writer:

Ryan Gosling

Stars:

Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christina Hendricks	...	Billy
Iain De Caestecker	...	Bones
Saoirse Ronan	...	Rat
Matt Smith	...	Bully
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Dave
Eva Mendes	...	Cat
Reda Kateb	...	Cab Driver
Barbara Steele	...	Grandma
Landyn Stewart	...	Franky
Rob Zabrecky	...	MC
Shannon Plumb	...	Fanny
Torrey Wigfield	...	Face
Misty Robinette	...	Misty
Holly Schlegel	...	Holly
Thomas McDonald	...	Skip (as ''Skip' Thomas Pierre McDonald')

Storyline

This movie is a dark fairy tale about love, family, and the fight for survival in the face of danger. In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, Billy ( Christina Hendricks ), a single mother of two, is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together. Her teenage son Bones ( Iain De Caestecker ) discovers a mystery about the origins of Lost River that triggers his curiosity and sets into motion an unexpected journey that will test his limits and the limits of those he loves.

---

Plot Keywords:

retro | suspense | underwater scene | curse | house of horrors | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent images, language and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Karen Black was originally slated to portray Grandma. Unfortunately, she died from cancer before she was able to do so.

---

Goofs

When Bully is under water after the car wreck he is upside down. The heels of his feet are on the car's hood and his head is under water. Yet when he exhales the bubbles go down when they leave his mouth. They should rise.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Franky: [Franky walks out of his house mumbling to himself] I'm gonna have some soup. I'm gonna go eat dinner. Come on, I just wanna eat dinner.

---

Crazy Credits

There is a short scene after the credits in which the street lights switch off again.

---

Connections

References Suspiria (1977)

---

Soundtracks

Slow Motion
Written and performed by Johnny Jewel

User Reviews

The Heart Of Darkness

Few indie films of late have more effectively captured the inescapable, haunting truth of urban decay in a narrative capacity the way 'Lost River' does. We may hear about it in the news, or occasionally see glimpses of it via online write-ups but are we really getting the whole story? Still, Lost River's eerie tale of a young man and his mother's desperate attempt to hold onto their rapidly decaying home gets under your skin. It's not the kind of story everyone will enjoy, some frankly won't have the stomach for it. Despite it sporting a supremely well written and directed script by Ryan Gosling - with visuals and cinematography that are breathtaking, hypnotic and cryptically gorgeous. The fact that corporate greed is literally wiping out entire towns across the United States is a reality some are just not going to be interested in, but that might be this film's central conceit.

The American Dream is slowly but surely turning into a sad, and devolved nightmare - governed by 'dark subcultures' which seem to be gaining momentum while murder, mass genocide, chaos and destruction continue to reign supreme. This is what's at the twisted heart of 'Lost River.' It also beautifully pays homage to Argento, Bava, Lynch, Tarkovsky and more. Some might feel inclined to make accusations that name actors like Barbara Steele are grossly underused. That may or may not be true, but I'd wager those folks are missing the point. If you're looking for a supremely bizarre, heady, visually striking foray into what some folks will do to hold onto their own little status-quos then this film is not to be missed.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

How to Catch a Monster

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,828, 12 April 2015

Gross USA:

$45,431

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$615,500

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bold Films, Marc Platt Productions, Phantasma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1