Getting Lost Review

As television and culture have moved away from J.J. Abrams’ “mystery box” style of storytelling, it’s somewhat harder to explain the legacy of Lost. Debuting in 2004, ABC’s gamble on an expensive primetime sci-fi series should not have worked (and, in some ways, it didn’t). And yet 20 years later, director Taylor Morden’s documentary Getting Lost exists precisely because the show endures—for reasons both real and imagined.

As its most successful graduate, Abrams is on hand as one of the talking heads in Getting Lost. Like many of the cast, writers, and fans who appear, he has (mostly) grand things to say about the show. Assuming a certain level of familiarity (which is fair), Morden’s film dives right into the specifics of Lost—reiterating some of the well-established lore from both sides of the camera, and the lucky (and unlucky) breaks that went into getting it made. For fans, most of this is not new; for non-fans, admittedly, most of this is tedious, particularly as the film expands to give voice to the online and podcast community (including so-called superfan Bobby Moynihan). As a lapsed obsessive myself, Morden does capture something of what made Lost compelling as a weekly serial. There just wasn’t anything else like it on TV—and try as they might, no one could duplicate its bizarre yet successful formula. As one of the breakout stars, Canadian (weirdo) Evangeline Lilly summarizes, “It happened to be the right place at the right time and the right thing.”

Setting parentheticals aside, however, it’s telling who appears in Getting Lost and who doesn’t. While Morden’s documentary is sure to touch on the show’s controversies—including the toxic work environment created by showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse—it’s also quick to pat itself on the back. This is history written by the victors, all smiles and happy tears, and it’s best to remember that as part of the show’s legacy too.

Getting Lost will screen on November 3 and 6 as part of Cineplex’s Event Cinema programming.