The two main characters - I hesitate to call them protagonists - are not entirely unlikable - until the end - but neither are they in any way remarkable, except perhaps in their complete lack of foresight. By the end of the film, however, they have evolved to be fully unlikable and quite the antagonists. The film wraps with an inexplicable extended sequence that was apparently intended to be allegorical but was instead just nonsensical. I've tried my best to give you a sense of the film without resorting to spoilers, but really the film was already spoiled by the screenplay and concept.
10 Reviews
Lotawana
kaldoon21 May 2020
A sweet beautiful film about a couple who once they meet try to live out their idealic life within nature while the material world tries to force itself into their world. Not much really goes as we see how they survive from living on a boat that at sea town but the film takes advantage of the beautiful nature and water imagery. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the ending but maybe it was the filmmaker's attempt to make a big change for the characters but overall enjoyed the film and I felt I might have loved it if I was still in my early 20s.
The worst movie I've ever paid money for
graywmitchell26 February 2022
Plot arc flatlined
austinjsting13 March 2022
Very pointless film with no plot to speak of. It's like a series of events strung together with no connection. Beautiful visuals, but the entire thing has no discernible message, purpose, and felt like a waste of time.
Lack of purpose.
XueHuaBingYu1 March 2022
It's really lack of purpose. While I was watching, I wondered what was the purpose of this film? Of course, the sceneries are beautiful, but the plot isn't very much. I don't even know the purpose of this film. What are they trying to accomplish? It's totally boring. I tried to watch the whole thing, but after 10 minutes, I couldn't bear it. So, I skipped some scenes and watched how it end. The ending wasn't good like the whole film. It's totally boring. I can't believe that I chose this film to watch.
All in all, it's so drama. And so boring. If only you're feeling so boring and don't have anything interesting to watch, you should watch this. This is one of the worst films I've ever watched.
All in all, it's so drama. And so boring. If only you're feeling so boring and don't have anything interesting to watch, you should watch this. This is one of the worst films I've ever watched.
Aesthetic, relatable, thought-provoking, and all-around well-considered debut feature
kovacsjc8 February 2022
Lotawana follows Forrest, a free-spirited twenty-something who lives in a sailboat on a lake, and Everly, a social misfit who becomes enchanted with Forrest's non-conforming lifestyle..but before long they're confronted with realities that cause them to question themselves, each other, society, and their place within it.
Have you ever found yourself wondering if it's everyone else who's crazy, or if it's just you?...or like you can't tell if it's society that is holding you back, or if it's all your own doing because you're just not cut out for it?...or maybe you don't even have a firm grasp on what it is you're being held back from? Are you really a non-conformist out of choice, or is it more like a defense mechanism that you've concocted to delude yourself into thinking you don't want the things that you are unable or unwilling to obtain?
Lotawana is about the disillusioned and the disaffected, the uncertain and the worrisome, the perfectly imperfect strugglers just trying to figure out how to get by. These endlessly relatable themes are explored through two immensely believable characters, whose natural chemistry makes you forget that you're watching a film, not peering into the lives of two real people.
And it simply cannot be understated...this film is gorgeous. Watch it, if for no other reason, to treat yourself to an hour-and-a-half of pure eye candy. In Jordan Peele's "Get Out", a character praises the photographer-protagonist for having "the eye" - that special X factor where one just somehow knows how to frame a subject in an elegant, aesthetically pleasing way - whether it be a person, a place, a setting, or even an idea itself - to be able to dispense with all the tired and unoriginal and cumbersome and expository dialogue and words, words, words..and craft images that speak for themselves.
Whatever "the eye" is...Trevor Hawkins has it.
Everything about it is just so damn...competent...and not in the facetious "achieves bare minimum" way in which that word is often used, but in the sense that it all comes across so natural and well-considered. The way the film handles suspense and shock, poetic irony and hubris...how the film emphasizes visual storytelling and has a purpose for even the most minor of shots, even if it doesn't become apparent until later. The scenes meant to sink your emotions weigh you down. The pacing is fluid. The (completely original) musical score is lovely and apropos.
Seeing how small the production was and how solid the product is in comparison, I just have such sincere admiration for what this outrageously talented group of people accomplished. It's the sort of film that I aspire to be able to make one day.
Have you ever found yourself wondering if it's everyone else who's crazy, or if it's just you?...or like you can't tell if it's society that is holding you back, or if it's all your own doing because you're just not cut out for it?...or maybe you don't even have a firm grasp on what it is you're being held back from? Are you really a non-conformist out of choice, or is it more like a defense mechanism that you've concocted to delude yourself into thinking you don't want the things that you are unable or unwilling to obtain?
Lotawana is about the disillusioned and the disaffected, the uncertain and the worrisome, the perfectly imperfect strugglers just trying to figure out how to get by. These endlessly relatable themes are explored through two immensely believable characters, whose natural chemistry makes you forget that you're watching a film, not peering into the lives of two real people.
And it simply cannot be understated...this film is gorgeous. Watch it, if for no other reason, to treat yourself to an hour-and-a-half of pure eye candy. In Jordan Peele's "Get Out", a character praises the photographer-protagonist for having "the eye" - that special X factor where one just somehow knows how to frame a subject in an elegant, aesthetically pleasing way - whether it be a person, a place, a setting, or even an idea itself - to be able to dispense with all the tired and unoriginal and cumbersome and expository dialogue and words, words, words..and craft images that speak for themselves.
Whatever "the eye" is...Trevor Hawkins has it.
Everything about it is just so damn...competent...and not in the facetious "achieves bare minimum" way in which that word is often used, but in the sense that it all comes across so natural and well-considered. The way the film handles suspense and shock, poetic irony and hubris...how the film emphasizes visual storytelling and has a purpose for even the most minor of shots, even if it doesn't become apparent until later. The scenes meant to sink your emotions weigh you down. The pacing is fluid. The (completely original) musical score is lovely and apropos.
Seeing how small the production was and how solid the product is in comparison, I just have such sincere admiration for what this outrageously talented group of people accomplished. It's the sort of film that I aspire to be able to make one day.
I don't have any big plans
nogodnomasters14 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A young couple lives on a sailboat floating around Lake Lotawana, Missouri. Neither one has a job. They are boring and talk about how they love their boring lives. Once you smelled the lake and seen the stars at night, how often is that going to be fun? It is all fun and games until their love leads to pregnancy.
This film was like watching paint dry. It was "Chariots of Fire" boring. I am sure there is a message there for someone. It wasn't me.
Guide: No swearing or nudity. Brief sex.
This film was like watching paint dry. It was "Chariots of Fire" boring. I am sure there is a message there for someone. It wasn't me.
Guide: No swearing or nudity. Brief sex.
Waste of time
rotini-525865 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I live in Lake Lotawana...and I wish the girl would've got killed...So the ending makes no sense...Did he survive the gunshot ? Didn't see any bullet holes on him in the end. Damn thieves. Get a job ! Movie was just very upsetting to me. Again...get a job. I don't blame the guy either. It's always the darn woman's fault. Next time get a dog .
All around beautiful movie.
freebornbrian4 February 2022
Lotawana is a beautiful film driven by a visual story telling with minimal, but purposeful dialogue and an amazing musical score that pushes the story further. This film makes you feel like you are along for the ride with the main characters just trying to figure out how to live a simple and meaningful life that focuses on experiences while having to navigate themes like conformity, poverty, consumerism, anxiety, and depression. Moments throughout the film show the natural allure of Missouri forest, lakes, clifs, and wild life through every season of the year.
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