First aired in 2004, the television drams series, LOST has just now celebrated its 20th birthday. After its astounding first episode, the series gained instant popularity with a host of fans who referred to themselves as ‘Losties’ who were hooked on to the television series, anxious to share thoughts and opinions on the most intriguing moments of the show. Such discussions have persisted for the last twenty years and show no indications of stopping anytime soon.
In this new context is Getting LOST, a feature length documentary that stands to fuel the disparity, which expands on the narratives at the heart of the show that have long been in dispute, which strives to resolve them once and for all, from the most pertinent of sources. All of the subplots tied together serve as a closure of a saga that has captivated millions of viewers across the globe. Its indeed a bittersweet moment for all the fans as the film quite explicitly aims at not only being a rekindle of passion but gathering the characters and creators to the same place as well for them to reminisce and reflect on what the show embodied and what made it so unique and remarkable.
Taylor Marden, who is a self proclaimed ‘very big fan’ of the show, Getting Lost is also a part of that very LOST universe. In the show’s universe, Francois Chau played the character Jacques Chandler which is another name for Dr. Pierre Chang. Chau appears in the style of the famous Dharma Initiative orientation videos and presents Getting Lost. It’s a funny way to start this film because its also a nice compliment to the LOST but one that adds legitimacy to the project.
Right from the start, there is enough reason for fans to be interested and to casual viewers an idea of what is to follow is provided as well. Getting Lost was entirely crowdsourced and this opening scene appears to show the money was well spent. There is a deliberate care for the material that the filmmakers capture evident in all the cuts. No wonder all the passion behind the camera draws out the right performance from the people in front of it.
In this chapter of the book, Getting Lost does not waste any time and goes straight into the beginnings of the show and the making of the pilot episode. As Evangeline Lilly so amusingly puts it in one of her clips, there are people who, due to their fandom, may be already aware of the majority of the narratives and information presented. Nevertheless, with contributions from J.J. ‘Abrams’, Damon ‘Lindelöf’, Michael ‘Guacharo’, Jorge ‘Garcia’, Josh ‘Holloway’, Lilly and so many other people, this is the most complete story to this point.
Whereas obsessive fans of the show have been privy to every LOST detail since the inception of the series, casuals might appreciate the likes of Michael Keaton’s fast coming and going during casting, or the lack of belief that the show would get picked up after the pilot. Fans, on the other hand, would get enough joy from being in the loop. Marden ingeniously knows how to put these claims in context, orienting towards presenting new aspects of already learned material.
After that, they investigate the outcomes of the show. The vantage of the show’s presenters and ordinary admirers of the series aims to situate the project within the larger structure of the culture. Fan activity and exposition footage is interspersed in the picture to illustrate the show’s popularity while a montage of Lost mentions in popular culture proves its influence on creators. Actor and fan Bobby Moynihan provides the audience of the movie with laughs as he displays his collection of films while trying desperately to include LOST in Saturday Night Live sketches.
The Lost Experience also employs some of its time to focus on how diversity and inclusion were embedded in the storyline in such an innovative manner. The latter prepares one of the segments that will focus on the authors’ room, which looked at the later phase toxicity in a more due manner. Morten tackles the topic with care and includes the voices of the people who were involved in it. This part is frank and straightforward; it is also expedient critique of the attitude, which is welcome in a discussion on what is otherwise an appeal of the series.
By leaving the controversy in the discourse, Morden positions ‘Getting Lost’ as an account that speaks not only about the strengths of the show, but the weaknesses too. Morden has said that these delicate matters, in addition to being a fan, made it an experience more moving than most of his projects which were worth it. There is this willingness to go the whole nine yards and engage the enemy in a more disturbing part of the show.
These conflicts people have had, and may even have in the future are shown well by Elizabeth Mitchell who concluded that, “We discuss the things we enjoy or the things that really irritate us. We ignore the grey.” This statement is quite strong and deeply resonates with the fact that it is one of the prime ideologies of the film. All the participants in the program seem to be mesmerized with the fans of LOST. To discuss the ending all fights over the ending of the show and the so called troubled writers’ room one needs to be invested
Marden is in a way doing the show a favor by stating that some viewers were unhappy with the finale of the show. However, the viewers he has collected are quick to defend the ending. In these instances, it is perhaps a mistake to hear from those who are completely against how the show wrapped up so that the discussion does not feel unbalanced but with the need to stay on schedule, one cannot blame the documentary for emphasizing the bright side only.
Having loved the show, there is no denying LOST fans will live a fan for life. Getting LOST is both an appreciation of what went into creating the show and the fandom which supported the show. Marden has brought a number of the show’s actors, producers, fans and people in show business who all love this great series of television. The documentary uses never before revealed footage and stunning pictures to retell favorite stories from 20 years of the beloved series while piecing together all time lost stories, celebrating two decades of the show. Getting LOST is a timeless documentary that will be appreciated by all those who share the mantra “We have to go back”.
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