Directed by: Robin de Levita
Lost Cos, the directorial debut of renowned theatre producer Robin de Levita, who's producing credits on the stage include Chicago, Titanic, 42nd Street, Into the Woods, Contact, West Side Story, The Who's Tommy and a host of other projects, makes his feature film debut blending a slew of genre's that is a little hard to categorize, but also the reason that makes it quite unique, something most films are scared to do. That in itself makes it stand out from the crowd.
Eni (Evgeniya Radilova) is a dental assistant by day, who finds solace and comfort in the underground world of cosplay and burlesque at a club called Lost Cos. At Lost Cos, she feels at home and considers her fellow performers family. Scarred by a traumatic childhood and still reeling from the loss of her true love in a brutal manner, she is sucked into a mystery when a fellow performer and cosplayer known as Merman is found dead on the beach. As the investigation into this mysterious death unfolds, she begins to receive mysterious messages from a stalker, her trauma comes flooding back and Eni is forced to deal with her past head-on. Will it be the final tipping point and break Eni? Or will it force her to confront the danger and past trauma head on? You will have to watch it to find out.
Blending the cosplay, comic book and burlesque community into a story wrapped around a detective mystery, with some slight comedy, is a bold choice, but I feel those in the cosplay community in particular will enjoy this one. Let's face it, what other film can you name off the top of your head that includes that community in a film that's so integral to the story? Think about it. I'll wait. You can tell de Levita is passionate about that and seeing everyone with their invented characters and especially with their stage performances in the club is truly inspiring. There is a deep passion there, and a LOT of this film is centered around that. So cosplayers, there is a film out there for you, and it's called Lost Cos, made and performed by those with a real love for that art.
With multiple storylines going on, I will admit it's a bit all over the place, but also a bit refreshing. It's different, and I always welcome different. The acting is surprisingly good all across the board, and the music soundtrack will definitely have some people on their feet. Not surprisingly, considering de Levita's background, the stage and production of the burlesque shows are very impressive and take center stage for large chunks of the film. It's also nice to see those communities having a spotlight for a change, and done in a very real-world way.
It's an artistic film experience all around, which also dives deep into comic book lore, which I also found refreshing. There are even a couple of animated sequences that were impressively done. I enjoyed these segments so much that I kind of wish there was more. They were really fun. All in all it's clearly a passion project done by someone who's love of comic books, art, animation, stage design, cosplay and burlesque shines through and elevates the film. And that surprise ending really caught me off guard.
Lost Cos hits theaters December 8th
-robotGEEK
