The film tells the story of the physically abandoned city of Lost River, where Billy (Christina Hendricks), a single mother of two children, is pushed into a terrible underworld. This mother is embarking on her experience trying to save her childhood home and keep her family together. Over time, it seems that her teenage son Buns (Iain De Casestecker) will discover a mystery about the origins of the strange Lost River.
It all descends into blood and fire as Gosling sifts through his Blu-ray collection to share the images and moods he loves. Does it work as a movie? Nah, not really. But as cinematic mix tapes go, it's kind of cool.
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
May 28, 2016
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.
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 ...
Lost River is a hugel y impressive debut, even if it is ultimately flawed. It feels like a first feature, and that's OK, and displays an art and eye from Gosling you might not have thought he possessed.
"Lost River" is one of those weird films that I think some people will absolutely adore, grabbing on to its performances, imagery, and ideas, without really caring that they haven't been stitched together in an interesting enough way.
"Lost River" is indeed a mess, but it's the best mess possible, an evocative grab-bag of images and moods with a heartfelt sincerity and conflicting impulses of romantic melancholy and hardscrabble hopefulness.
