Lou

2022 1h 47m EN

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 812

ActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young girl is kidnapped during a powerful storm. Her mother joins forces with her mysterious neighbour to set off in pursuit of the kidnapper. Their journey will test their limits and expose the dark secrets of their past.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Allison Janney
Lou
Jurnee Smollett-Bell
Hannah
Logan Marshall-Green
Philip
Ridley Asha Bateman
Vee
Matt Craven
Sheriff Rankin
Greyston Holt
Chris
Daniel Bernhardt
Tony
RJ Fetherstonhaugh
Gerry

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anna Foerster
Writers: Maggie Cohn, Maggie Cohn, Jack Stanley
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anna Foerster, shot by Michael McDonough. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nima Fakhrara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Logan Marshall-Green carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5315210 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anna Foerster directs. Michael McDonough behind the camera. Nima Fakhrara scores. Paul Tothill cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 4 years ago.
2Directed by Anna Foerster, shot by Michael McDonough. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Nima Fakhrara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Logan Marshall-Green carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt5315210 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael McDonough
Original score: Nima Fakhrara
Editing: Paul Tothill
Production design: Brent Thomas
Costume design: Tish Monaghan
Makeup / hair: Suzie Klimack
VFX supervisor: Mark Bortolotto
Sound: Tateum Kohut
Stunt coordinator: Dan Shea
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Lou (2022)

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Anna Foerster

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2022-09-27
★ 6/10
MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2022-edition/ "Lou focuses on an admittedly generic kidnapping story, but Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett's incredibly captivating performances tremendously elevate the formulaic screenplay. Given the lack of advertising and the low budget, Michael McDonough's cinematography exceeds expectations, providing a much more interesting viewing due to the excellent control of the camera and the surrounding environment. The clean editing helps with the few yet violent fight sequences in a film driven by the two protagonists and their respective arcs. The third act risks it all by "toying" with the audience's intellect, but it's still a decent watch." Rating: B-
Peter McGinn2022-10-28
★ 7/10
I don’t watch thrillers as a rule, so I will not try to compare it to others in that genre. I gave this a try only because of Allison Janney, who first impressed me in West Wing and later in Mom. Of course, this is a different breed of character for her altogether. In a few ways the movie stuck close to the formula of the restrictive thriller genre: the supervillain who is always one step ahead until near the end, the fight scenes where any one blow would knock out a real person, scenes from the past filling in where character development leaves off, and plot twists I could see coming yards away. But the movie had a couple of surprises for me, the body count wasn’t as high as usual, and Janney put in her usual strong performance, so I stayed with it until the end, as did my wife, who enjoys thrillers even less than I do. So I guess that speaks volumes for Lou in the end.
The Movie Mob2023-01-13
★ 5/10
Lou didn’t disappoint but didn’t impress. Not memorable or captivating, but not a horrible movie to have on in the background while doing something else. Lou is a decent but forgettable action drama with a surprisingly good cast but a script that lets everyone down and characters that are just unbelievable. Lou is the Netflix version of Nobody without the humor or fight choreography. Lou is a former CIA operative in hiding that steps in to help her neighbors when a child is kidnapped. Bad guys get shot. Bad Guys get stabbed. Stuff gets blown up. All that should equal a good movie, and it almost does but doesn’t quite make it. Lou isn’t bad, but it’s nothing new and doesn’t do what has been done before, as well as those who have already done it.