Too much of everything

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

In Australia's Lost Gold, director Luke Walker found himself more interested than he expected when he ventured out to Australia chasing the same tale Bob Lasseter had been chasing to save his father's name. We start with Bob and join him on his search of the gold that his father, Harold Lasseter spent years trying to convince people existed. Then the film takes us back into time encompassing many forms of media using animation, interview footage, maps, and personal interviews from local Aborigines. So when they travel, you travel too! I eventually found myself getting anxious and waiting for Bob and Walker to pick their next location to look! The best part of it was seeing how personally Walker took on the search with Bob. They shared hope, frustration, and above anything else an undoubtedly remarkable chapter in an ongoing legend.

Documentaries never really caught my eye because I always found them boring. However, after seeing the many nominations and critic circles recognizing Australia's Lost Gold, I decided to give it a try. Boy, what I treat I was in for! Director Luke Walker, puts together a documentary that combines mystery, adventure, and excitement in the search of the legendary hidden golden reef in the abyss of the Central Australian Desert. I loved all the twists, turns, and obstacles they had to face that left me on the edge of my seat! At some points, I did not realize that I was watching a documentary because Walker redefines what a "documentary" actually means.

Well, what can I say about Australia's Lost Gold? It is a spectacular real life treasure hunt set in the vast Australian outback. From the start, I was quite interested in the possibility of a massive reef of gold hidden from civilization. The director of the film, Luke Walker, sets out searching for clues to help Bob, the son of the famous Harold Lasseter, in his quest to find his father's gold. Constantly throughout the film, their quest is slandered by people who said that Harold was a liar. The film takes many twists and turns, and just when all hope seems lost, a new clue is uncovered. In the outback they meet a tribe of Aborigines that guide them as well as tell them of their accounts with Harold Lasseter many years ago. The director does an incredible job in preserving the Aboriginal culture, and taking care not to disturb what they hold dear. The wonderful vistas of the Australian landscape transports the viewer into Luke and Bob's world, rooting for them to find the gold.

I was amazed and deeply moved by this documentary by Luke Walker, a dedicated Australian film maker, who's style reminded me of my fellow German and favorite documentarian of all time, Werner Herzog. Carefully crafted and expertly narrated, this film shows the perplexity and intestinal fortitude of Bob Lasseter, who simply will not give up looking for the plethora of gold his father claimed to have found in the Australian outback nearly a hundred years ago. Walker takes us on a complex, unique and engrossing treasure hunt. Alone the first sentence of the official synopsis: "In 1931 Harold Lasseter's body was found in Central Australia's deserts. His diary revealed that he'd found gold, worth millions...but that he'd give it all for a loaf of bread..." got me hooked. It's an outstanding and highly intriguing story. Well worth seeing!