Lost in the Sun

This is a well-acted film for sure. It's nice to see Josh Duhamel in a gritty, dramatic role (brown teeth for the part even). The actor who portrays the kid was excellent as well.

This is a road movie drama with suspense and intrigue. Slow-moving at at times, it's got a moody, eerie feel that just pulls you right in. Should you like Josh's character, should you not? Those answers are not all forthcoming immediately. It's interesting to watch the bond develop between his character and the boy, and at times, your perspective on that may change (true bond? Stockholm Syndrome?). In the extra features, Josh says this was a movie he was trying to make for a long time. It's a independent film definitely worth watching.

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

I sort of stumbled across this film, and thought yeah it has got an OK cast, the ratings on IMDb (specially the amount of 1 votes) were sort of on the low side, but glad I gave it a go.

It has a very simple story line that guides you along from the minute it starts, and I really got caught up in it, the music was partly to blame, but it was filmed with a feeling most high end Hollywood products would kill for.

Great performance by the whole cast, especially the kid, and seeing it has a low score of 6 on IMDb, I gave it a 10 as it deserves a way better rating than it has. If you like a film that gives you that chill kind of feeling, with out blood and guts purely because of the great acting and simple but very effective story, than you will love this film!

10 out of 10

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.

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".