Lost Child

Fern (Leven Rambin), a newly-discharged soldier suffering from PTSD, reluctantly returns to her roots in the Ozarks following the death of her addict father. With little intention of sticking around, Fern nevertheless moves into her late dad’s ramshackle house, which looks like a mansion compared to neighboring dumps. Heavily drinking and smoking Fern is also looking for her younger brother, Billy (Taylor John Smith), who is full of rage toward her. Fern is ready to leave but then she encounters Cecil (Landon Edwards), a young guarded boy living alone in the woods. The mysterious Cecil soon attaches himself to Fern, who is wholly unprepared to be a surrogate mother. But as a supernaturally-tinged myth about the boy takes root in the community, Fern is challenged to learn the truth or surrender Cecil to an uncertain fate. Co-writer/director Ramaa Mosley’s Lost Child never tips all the way into either horror or psychological drama, keeping a fine balance in this tale marked by a strong sense of place, an honest look at human wreckage, and a welcome belief in redemption. Recommended. (T. Keogh)