Lost in the Sun

Stumbled across this gem. Superbly crafted, fabulous cinematography, brilliant casting and great performances from everyone. Outstanding locations. The expansive angles capture the southern mid-west perfectly.

Characters are rich and absorbing, even those who only feature for a few moments.

The only thing that lets it down is the script, which is a little predictable, but does have the occasional surprise. But the excellent acting carries it off, and for me it's still 8 out of 10.

If you enjoy watching a truly well made film, you'll love this one.

Petty criminal John (Josh Duhamel) goes into a gas station and the clerk pulls a gun on him. One week earlier, he gives Louis a ride to his grandparents after his mother's funeral. John pulls a bunch of holdups. They pick up Mary (Lynn Collins) and Rose along the way.

It's kind of a mumblecore crime spree road trip indie. It's not that interesting until the first escape where Louis has to get air. I don't get the situation where they first get together. It's unmotivated until the reveal much later. It leaves the movie feeling rambling at times. It's still questionable why Louis would leave a perfectly fine bus for a ride with a stranger. It's basic stranger danger. Duhamel is barely able to fill the screen by himself and the boy isn't that helpful. There are a few interesting moments but it is lackluster overall. It needs more to tie the reveal into something more poignant. It needs to convince me why the kid would follow a guy he never met before. It would be easier if he's simply hitchhiking and John picks him up.

Except for the gun propping up the story, good - very good - in a European film melancholy joie de vivre, Francois Truffaut, or "Paris, Texas," kind of way. I'm reviewing it because it's quite good. If I'm still remembering it the next day, it was noteworthy. That's in no small measure a credit to excellent photography by Robert Barocci. I'll just say, the story could easily have been written without a gun - 'cuz that's my soapbox. Guns in films are so prevalent, there should be an Oscar for the guns.

The character played by Josh Duhamel isn't very deep, and is kind of an unredeemable punk, but that's the way the character was supposed to be played. Josh Wiggens is excellent in his role as the orphaned boy. The pair are a credible duo. I never thought for a second that the characters were Hollywood contrivances. A lot of critics thought the characters and story were too thin to carry a full-length feature. I disagree. It's a wretched tendency that U.S. filmmakers have of tending toward clobbering audiences with action or sentiment. The characters unfold in a quiet way through their gestures and appearances, as in a Cormac McCarthy novel.

A great haunting score by Daniel Hart is appropriate for the film and plays an unmistakably powerful role in accenting the drama, but I have to admit I'm a bit weary of the rock strings Godspeed You Black Emperor/Explosions in the Sky copycat genre, not because I don't like it, but because it offends my sensibilities that it's been beaten from overuse into flattened roadkill at the edge of a highway. Nevertheless, it's essential to under-girding this drama.

The score's performers got dropped into the post-production credits, I hate to say, because they carried the film through the longer ponderous landscape moments - carried the film more than, say, the hair artists. I looked them up, 'cuz that's how I rolls: Shawna Hamilton (cello), Borak Loftipour (percussion), Veronica Gan (violin), Maria Demus (violin), Annika Donnen (violin). These all seem to be musicians trying to get their footing in the business - all in Texas, I think - maybe Denton.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3593046/

I highly recommend this movie.

Great direction, acting and cinematography.

If you ever wonder where all the good movies have gone, I think the answer is Independent films. Unbridled by the big studios, Independents still churn out great films. Not all of them, but you can definitely count this as one of them.

The dialog and acting, especially by young Josh Wiggins, is superb. Josh Duhamel is a hidden gem as far as lead actors go. He does not disappoint.

If you want a great 'feel good' movie - with heart, great direction, cinematography, dialog and acting - look no further than "Lost in the Sun".

Lost in the Sun is about family, and the discovery that families differ from person to person. Not every family turns out to have strong bonds, and from time to time, we can downright despise them at times. Lost in the sun centers on a young boy who has lost those bonds and a trip that brings his life into focus.

It's a fairly dramatic story. A young boy loses his mother, and has to travel across the country to live with his grandparents, whom he's never met before. Along comes drifter and lowlife John (Josh Duhmal), who offers to take this young man to his destination. Against his better judgment he hops into the car with this stranger, and begins a journey of self-discovery.

I didn't think it was a copied story. There was a lot of interesting and heartfelt moments. The plot line delivers a lot of teary moments, and as you travel through the country with them, their bond becomes stronger, as does yours with the characters. It was an interesting story too, as each reveal brings you closer and closer to their destination, and it's inevitable end. The thing I did notice is how similar the story was to the movie "Road to Perdition." If you've seen that film, you'll know it's not EXACTLY the same story, but remarkably close in many points. The lost boy, the father figure, the journey they take together across the country. Many of the same elements and emotional moments were in both films.

Overall, it's a decent movie. Better than I thought it would be and I found myself pretty drawn in to the story. It's sad, but in a good way.

5/10