Cannes critics slam Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, the theatrical fable ‘Lost River’

CANNES, France – Ryan Gosling has debuted as a film director at Cannes with a stylish, theatrical fable that critics quickly slammed.

The first screening of Gosling’s “Lost River” played for one of the festival’s most packed crowds Tuesday, who surely got something they weren’t expecting. “Lost River” is a baroque fairy tale set in the ruins of Detroit, filmed with bold cinematography and a lurid, David Lynch-like atmosphere.

Immediate reaction from critics was largely negative. Variety’s Scott Foundas called it a “first-rate folie de grandeur.” The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin dubbed it “dumb-foundingly poor.”

Warner Bros. has not yet scheduled a release date for “Lost River,” which was previously titled “How to Catch a Monster.”