Lost in the Sun Review
By David Kempler
I Was Lost But Now I'm Found
Slow moving doesn't necessarily mean boring. Even the lack of a great story might not be a terrible thing. But it does make it more difficult to produce a winner that is slow and also not a particularly great tale. However, writer-director Trey Nelson has managed to put together a fairly engrossing work that is slow and that has an unremarkable plot.
Instead, Nelson relies on a simple story about a boy and a man on the road, together. The big and only question is why they are traveling with each other. You'll figure out why before Nelson tells you, but it won't disturb your enjoyment.
Louis (Josh Wiggins) is a young teenager whose mother has just passed away. Since he has no one else, he is going to go live with his grandmother in another state. Before he can leave, a man named John (Josh Duhamel) approaches him and tells him that he has been instructed by the young man's grandparents to drive him instead of taking the bus. We know it feels odd, but the kid decides to go with him.
"Lost in the Sun" is about the trip the two of them share and it's not an ordinary afternoon drive. John is at worst a career criminal. At best, he is a troubled man with a haunted past. As the two of them make their way across the country, John commits a few armed robberies, with Louis as the eventually willing accomplice. This is the basis of their bonding, and it works. Both develop feelings for the other, although it is never explicitly spoken about.
The co-star of "Lost in the Sun" is the mostly colorless landscapes they pass on their trek. Yet, none of it is the least bit depressing. It's oddly calming. Robert Barocci does a great job handling the cinematography.
By the time we come to the climax, everything feels inevitable and pre-destined. Sadly, it's the weakest part of the story. It's melodramatic and cloying. The good news is that the trip to reach that point is still worth it.
