Lost River, Q&A with Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling: directorial debut
Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March, Crazy, Stupid, Love) has just released his directorial debut – and everyone's talking about it.
Gosling's fantastical new thriller Lost River, set in a bankrupt Detroit, stars Christina Hendricks (Mad Men's Joan Harris) as a single mother attempting to make ends meet, whose son discovers a strange underwater town. Heavy on striking cinematography, the film mixes elements of neo-noir with gothic imagery of life among the ruins and draws its influence, we're told, from the likes of David Lynch and Nicolas Winding Refn, who directed Gosling in neon and synth sensation Drive. 
But Gosling's wistful tableaux of impoverished American life have somewhat missed the critical mark: the film debuted at Cannes in May but was panned by reviewers, leading to an announcement that it wouldn't be making it on to the silver screen and disparaging remarks about the handsome A-Lister's novice attempt at arthouse filmmaking. 
Yet the fans have spoken, and the Notebook star's first attempt at manning the camera will be revealed in London cinemas in April, inviting the capital's inhabitants to dive headfirst into Gosling’s surreal vision of this natural ghost town.
For those who enjoy a bit of stargazing, Lost River isn't a film to be missed: as well as Hendricks, the film has appearances from Eva Mendes (Gosling’s real-life partner), Saoirse Ronan and Matt Smith (Dr Who).
Lost River reviews
And although some of the Cannes critics poured scorn on the director and its production, others saw its potential – with Indiewire critic Oliver Lyttleton writing in a bid to defend the flick '[I]t's not a dull mess, and this writer at least found some pleasures to salvage from it, mostly of the audio-visual variety', whilst self-proclaimed LA 'movie mavern' Anne Thompson declared the film an 'impressive impressionistic well-wrought debut'. Across the pond, then, warmth towards Gosling has apparently pull him through the critical arena, but UK reviews were less than favourable. 
One thing's certain, if you want to see a film that will have you arguing with fellow cinemagoers well into the night, Lost River's the one to watch. If nothing else, fans of its director will no doubt gain insight into the mind behind the perfectly chiseled jaw line.
Anyone keen to watch the film should take advantage of the Curzon Soho's invitation to meet with Gosling himself on April 8. Booking is currently only open to Curzon+ members, but the event will be open to the general public for booking on March 27.