Lou

Join Academy Award winner Allison Brooks and Jurnee Smollett in this action-thriller which takes two women that know little to nothing about one another to find a young girl who’s been kidnapped in Lou.

Directed by Anna Foerster, best known for her previous films such as Outlander and Underworld: Blood Wars. Lou was released on the 23rd of September 2022 by distributor Netflix.

Hannah Dawson played by Jurnee Smollett is a single mother of a young girl (played by) living together in one of America’s remote islands, and her landlord goes by the name of Lou.

Allison Janney plays the character of Lou Adell, known throughout their small town as a hunter with very few words and even fewer friends.

One night, during a dangerous storm, Hannah Dawson’s young girl is kidnapped with a postcard left on the bed. It’s dark, it’s raining with no one else around to assist, Hannah is left with no other option than to rely on her neighbor — Lou.

Anna Foerster and cinematographer Michael McDonough do an amazing job at making you feel like a part of these women, walking through the woods during a storm, looking for any trails that may lead to the rescue of the little girl.

It feels good to watch something different that doesn’t require you to think too much about the shenanigans and little details.

Throughout the film, it felt more like I was on a hunt, which I believe was part of the director’s motives. Though it’s only till act 2 that you get the sense that something is missing and things aren’t adding up.

This is a genius device that the director exploits, because now not only are you watching the film, but now you’re unconsciously starting to become more active with the film, adding the missing pieces without the movie telling you to.

Even though the Lou involves a small cast, the characters are tragic, relatable, and genuine.

The character of Lou is much more than what the eyes can see, she’s more than just a hunter, or some landlord. Everything she’s done has been for a specific reason.

I cannot get into too many details about her character as this would ruin some parts of the movie, which is one of the elements that make Lou a great thriller/mystery film.

Hannah Dawson is tragic in the sense that, she fell in love with a man that was already broken from whatever happened in his past.

She felt that she could fix him, like many women that get relationships with “bad boys” do, thinking that they can somehow fix a broken person with love and affection. Sadly, like most of those relationships, that is not the case.

Expect to see some beautiful visuals throughout the film, which caught me off guard at first because I thought storm, meaning rain, meaning mud, meaning you cannot run, which means you are restricted.

However, I was proven wrong. I sincerely enjoyed Lou, the antagonist Philip played by Logan Marshall-Green was dealt the wrong cards at a young age and unfortunately had to pay the price one or another, even though he never asked for it. It’s life.

Overall, Lou is not only an action-thriller but also a mystery in a sense. It’s beautifully paced with a runtime of 1h 49mins but hardly felt like it.

The plot thickens with the reveals which in turn keep the excitement and buildup raising and raising to deliver a heartbreaking finish, all thanks to the phenomenal performances from the cast.

Great film.

Let me know in the comments section below what you enjoyed about Lou.

Do you have any recommendations for films that you’d compare to “Lou”? Let me know.

Thanks for reading…