Lost on a Mountain in Maine Review – An Inspiring, Riveting, Family Friendly Film

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Friday, 01 November 2024 09:41

Written by Janet Walker

Lost on a Mountain in Maine, from Blue Fox Entertainment, presents the true story of how a child survived nine days, without food, shelter, or even hiking boots, in the treacherous forest on Maine's Mount Katahdin.

The story begins with two brothers, Donn, played by Luke David Bloom, and Ryan, played by Griffin Wallace Henkel, playing in the springs near their home in Bangor, Maine. They see their dad, Donald, played by Paul Sparks, drive past and begin running after the car. He doesn't stop but lets them chase him home.

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They are preparing for a two-week fishing trip when he explains that the trip is called off, as he must return to work. Donn becomes extremely angry. To try and smooth things over, Donald, arranges a two-day overnight camping trip and then hike to the summit of Mount Katahdin.

The next day they begin the hike, Donn is angry, and his anger is showing, he is aggressive in the hike, not concerned about the trail, not thinking about his actions, or anyone else. Once they get past the tree line, the weather turns and it begins to rain, sleet, and snow, and their dad calls the hike, and Donn explains, you wanted us to hike, so let us hike. The weather gets worse, and the boys begin to fight, the guide, Henry, played by Ethan Slater, attempts to stop them, asking Donn to be careful, a thunderclap booms, and Donn is spooked, and like a wild animal running in fear, he makes a break down the mountain running anywhere as long as it is away from the terror.

By the time he stops running he has no idea where he is, and the others, Donald, and his younger brother Tommy, played by Mason Cufari, who are waiting for them and the guide to return, realize that Donn is lost. Soon, a search party is formed, with only a few men who are expecting the worse.

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Now the film is split between Donn walking through the forest, remembering the words his dad explained, if you are lost follow a stream it will always lead to a river, and a river will lead to people, and don't lose your head. Keep your wits about you, especially in dangerous situations. As Donn is surviving and while he is tired, lost, and alone, he is no longer scared. As the days go by, he is sustained on miraculous finds, a bush of strawberries, a pool of fresh water to rejuvenate his spirit, and old miner's shed and divine knowledge on how to catch a fish.

His parents, on the other hand, are frantic and his mother, Ruth, played by Caitlin FitzGerald, finally takes over, and decides they need a bigger search party. In one afternoon, she and Ryan call the major newspapers, which brings the spotlight of national media, calls local businesses, churches and organizations that send volunteers, and by the next day, the search for Donn has become the largest in the state's history.

The film weaves in actual participants in the story, a member of the rescue party, who explains he survived because he didn't know the odds, and didn't realize what he was up against. His actual brother explains by the end of the first week they were looking for a body. His mother explains the moment they were reunited.

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Lost on a Mountain in Maine is a feel-good family friendly film filled with moments of divine inspiration that will cause even the jaded to consider the possibility of a higher power. 

The ensemble deliver strong performances, and the young talent, Luke David Bloom, carries the bulk of the harrowing survival story. In the beginning we meet him as an antagonist, argumentative, and belligerent, and through his time, lost and alone with only the words of his father and his own innocent knowledge of God, the arch of his character transforms him and we begin to understand his feelings, caught between the man his father expects him to be and the boy he still is and the fear of not living up to what is expected. His performance is noteworthy.

Captivating, and riveting, Lost on a Mountain in Maine opens in theaters, November 1, 2024. See it.

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Country: U.S.

Language: English.

Runtime: 98 minutes.

Director: Andrew Boodhoo Kightlinger.

Producer: Sylvester Stallone, Braden Aftergood, Dick Boyce, Ryan B. Cook.

Writer: Luke Paradise.

Cast: Luke David Blum, Paul Sparks, Caitlin FitzGerald, Griffin Wallace Henkel,
Ethan Slater, Dean Neistat, Bates Wilder, Jacob Heimer, Mason Cufari, Ban Matteucci, Robert Loftus, Ashlyn Alessi, Wayne Pyle.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation’s top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and the International Federation of Journalists.