Director/writer Mike Southerly’s Lost With You is a romantic drama set in a Los Angeles hiking trail area, and focused on the political ethos of each main character. Naomi (Madison Shamoun) is visiting and has come to clear her head. At the trailhead she meets Ethan (Jake Short), a seasoned hiker who offers to guide her. Thus begins their day-long walk, talking all the way, strangers with a fixed amount of time. “We both know this ends when the hike does.”
It soon becomes clear they have opposing political outlooks. He’s liberal, telling her that he works with non-profits and shelters. Naomi is from Ohio, attending a faith-based school near Dayton. Hers is a strict, religious, right-wing family, and she parrots her parents’ insular conservative values. Despite that, she finds him funny and charming, and to him she’s brilliant, beautiful, and snarky. He laughs trying to imagine coming to dinner at Naomi’s house, with a fanciful scene of her father seeing him as the demon-possessed girl in The Exorcist.
When she says the poor and homeless “made their choices,” Ethan counters with a story about meeting people who’ve experienced trauma and circumstances beyond their control. He is happy to share his viewpoint without becoming offended at hers. She’s drawn to his humor and friendly, open nature. We learn that her experience in the world is limited. She’s never travelled, and doesn’t recognize the Griffith Observatory when they pass by it.
As they encounter other hikers along the way, each presents an allegorical parable about life. One woman with a dog named “Bark Obama” tells them she’s divorced, and has concluded that politically mixed couples don’t work.
Ethan and Naomi debate the basic tenets that have come to define American political polarization. She explains her positions cogently, and he listens to her closely, not just waiting for his turn to talk. She has a curious mind and is willing to self-reflect. At one point they agree to switch sides in the debate and argue the opposite stance.
“… Naomi parrots her parents’ insular conservative values …”
The problem with a character like Naomi is that she’s intelligent and thoughtful. In the current environment of recreational outrage and frenzied berserker politics, a conservative like her is hard to imagine. Of course, we all pine for the halcyon days when people with different ideologies could politely disagree on policy and debate calmly.
Lost With You is a fairy tale about a liberal man and a conservative woman falling in love. That Ethan and Naomi could be from such polar opposite social / political ends of the spectrum and still find love is a rose-colored fantasy. They overcome their biases because of mutual attraction and youthful idealism. Southerly approaches the rift with humor and whimsy. The film climaxes with a stirring outdoor performance of Nessun Dorma from the opera Turandot. This is sly, as that title means “none shall sleep,” which is another way of saying “be woke.” Kudos to Southerly for slipping that in.
The film directly references Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, which is mirrored here in significant ways. Even though it might feel like a shortcut to co-opt credibility, it is a fair callback. Like the former, the long conversation in Lost With You replaces a traditional 3-act script.
From a cinematic perspective, the film is a wonder of Indie guerilla filmmaking at its finest. The cinematography, sound, script, and performances all punch far above their weight. As the characters reveal themselves, we cut to clever vignettes imagining what is being described. Southerly has done a masterful job of creating a brilliant film with limited resources. This is what an Indie film should be.
Despite the sticky ideological conflict, Lost With You winds up being more light and airy than expected. There is an unselfconscious “walking on sunshine” vibe. In a cynical, polarized world, one must respect the optimism that dares hope for a better day.
Learn more at the official Lost With You website.
"…Indie guerilla filmmaking at its finest"
