‘Lost’ is a nice find
You gotta respect Ryan Gosling. Many A-list actors use their clout to wiggle their way into the director’s chair, but rarely do any go as all-in on their dream vision as Gosling has. His filmmaking debut, “Lost River,” is defiantly noncommercial — moving to its own compelling beat.
Set in a surreal, hellish landscape (shot in Detroit, unsurprisingly), young Billy (Iain De Caestecker) rummages for scrap metal so his mother (Christina Hendricks) can afford to keep the family home. A sleazy bank manager (Ben Mendelsohn) offers her a job at an odd cabaret. It’s run by a mysterious woman (Eva Mendes) who mixes wild exotic dance and wilder makeup.
Looming in Hendricks’ future at the club is a basement and a strange, iron maiden-like device, around which men lustily cavort. Meanwhile, Billy falls in love with a neighbor girl named Rat (Saoirse Ronan) and must escape the clutches of a rival scraphunter. Beneath the wash of weirdness, love and family conquer all.
“Mad Men” co-star Hendricks’ radiant beauty works in striking contrast to the near-apocalyptic surroundings. Even though this movie is unusual, Hendricks emanates classic Hollywood movie-star appeal. The stream-of-consciousness effect is somewhat frustrating — but that’s by design, as Gosling seems to be echoing David Lynch’s “Eraserhead” and Francis Coppola’s “Rumble Fish.” The out-of-context flash-cuts to burning buildings may be a touch overwrought, but the production design and cinematography are striking.
At heart, “Lost River” is a midnight movie for those ready to find it and go with the flow.