Lots Love

Set in Edinburgh’s gritty rock scene, Lost Love tackles the difficulties and dangers of drug abuse on relationships, friendships and individuals by following the grief of a band’s lead singer and the destructive effect on his bandmates.

Jack (James Miles Boyd) is the lead singer of heavy rock band ‘Lost Love’ alongside bandmates Harry (Grant Mciver) and Cal (Michael Robertson). After collapsing on stage, Jack’s drug abuse becomes a source of anger and dissent amongst them, with Cal particularly angry about how Jack’s habits are damaging their chances of success. However, Jack is dealing with visions of Katie (Robyn Reilly), an important part his life that he cannot move on from – and her presence makes fighting his addiction that much harder…

Lost Love is fundamentally about drug abuse and how it comes to grip people in their darkest moments. Jack’s refusal to open up about his trauma and face his problems head on is fracturing his band before his eyes. Once a source of passion, he now struggles through gigs and suffers from blackouts that lose the band money. We see how therapy sessions help him admit the pain he suffers from, and use a new community to begin recovery. It is an important and admirable message.

However, the narrative of the film can be confusing. Katie’s appearance at the band’s gig triggers Jack’s collapse – prior to which the frontman is shown in fine form. It suggests the film is going down the horror route rather than gritty real-life drama, and even as Katie’s metaphorical nature is revealed, it suggests that Jack’s grief is the primary cause of his collapse rather than the abuse of drugs. A scene in which Jack is convinced to go to therapy is also bizarrely inserted just before the conclusion, after we have already seen the beneficial impact of his decision. It works somewhat in saying that those around us care – even when we drive them nuts. But it upsets an otherwise emotional high point in the film.

The film ultimately seems unable to decide whether to stress the importance of personal responsibility on Jack’s behalf, or the message that trauma is an overriding influence that we are all vulnerable to. Jack’s story will naturally illicit sympathy from viewers, but his bandmates response to his problems mean we are inclined to defend him from their very reasonable issues as the importance of Katie to Jack’s psyche is stressed so strongly. This in turn dilutes the film’s conclusion – that Jack taking control of his life is his path to redemption and sobriety. If his collapses and outbursts are his own actions, more should be made of his culpability. If they are not, the dangers of addiction are diluted. Neither feels like the filmmaker’s aim, but it is the outcome of the story structure.

The gritty underground club world of Edinburgh looks fantastic, and anyone who has attended a smoky, sticky rock gig will feel right at home. Music from James Miles Boyd’s real band Dootchi is also a nice touch, that creates the sense that Lost Love are a living, breathing group establishing themselves in the scene. Boyd himself is impressive as the lead, bringing a softness to Jack that is too often omitted from stories about drug abuse. Not every victim is wild and out of control 24/7, just as not every rock star isn’t.

Lost Love’s heart is in the right place, and the film taps into an emotional beat with moving performances and a strong moral sense. But its narrative is flawed and leads to the central message being muddled.