Lasseter's Bones (2012)

Simply Perfect

Pretty Good

How sad is this?

Excellent adaptation.

In the central Australian desert, one man's legacy lives on like the sand on the hills and the bones of creatures long gone. That man is Harold Lasseter. Harold discovered ("supposedly") a reef of gold in central Australia worth billions. No one believed him, and he died before the gold could be found. His son, Bob, never knew his father; he left when he was 6 years old, never to be seen again. Even so, Harold left a mark on his son that would shape his entire life. Bob has spent years trying to find that elusive gold in order to clear his father's name. Director Luke Walker joins him in that quest in Australia's Lost Gold. The story has surprises at every turn; I found myself enthralled in the mystery of that long, lost gold. Highly recommend for anyone that loves adventure.

Watching Australia's Lost Gold is an inspiring and joyful experience. Director Luke Walker expertly paces Bob Lasseter's journey to find the mother lode of gold in a way that sets him apart from other documentarians. As Bob Lasseter searches endlessly for bits and pieces of his father's legacy, the attention draws closer and closer on this mystery and the history of his family. All of this is accompanied by breathtaking cinematography of Australian desert landscapes. Furthermore, the editing creates such a dramatic slow burn effect that audiences can find themselves reviewing the statements, rumors, and pieces of the tale just as much as Bob Lasseter himself. As the trek for Lasseter's Reef goes on, the will to find out the truth gets stronger in not just Bob Lasseter, but the director and audience; which is the biggest compliment I can give this film. In a world filled with big budget action films out every other week, it is refreshing to come across a softhearted story of human nature and wonder.

With gripping film-work by Director Luke Walker and Bob Lasseter's unwavering charisma, you can't help but fall in love with the Legend of Lasseter's Bones. As the two traverse the deadly landscapes of the Australian desert you find yourself not only rooting for the duo, but feeling as if you're travelling beside them. The journey to find the reef transforms into an adventure that has you creating a mental whiteboard full of connected dots and loose ends. You feel the frustration that the cast does when a trail runs dry, and the overwhelming joy when you find yourself a step closer to the fortune. Australia's Lost Gold is a treasure hunt on the surface, a personal journey at heart, and most of all, a film definitely worth the watch.

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!