Film Journal 2024: Lost in Tomorrow
Directed by Kellen Gibbs
A quaint and lovely hidden gem. It feels a bit uncertain in the early going, but once the premise kicks in, following a young girl struggling to fit in at school and at home as she finds herself lost in tomorrow, it is quite affecting.
What’s interesting about the film is that you could essentially break it up into different parts, as the cast is always changing even as we follow a singular character. And that easily could have been a weakness here, as without a visible lead it could feel like it might be hard to locate the character development. The Director does a really nice job however of tying each sequence together narratively and thematically, and each new person that we meet (or that she wakes up in) does a great job of embodying her growth and transformation. Part of the journey here is, every time she wakes up she gets further away from herself. Thus there is a natural flow to the concept of learning to find herself by discovering the story of others. Our main character is always part of the story even when her face is out of view.
Works really well as a low budget, indie family film with lots of heart and a good message that traverses subjects like family, identity, growing up, discovery, and being present.
The Stories of my Life 