Lost & Found is the story of two brothers packed off to an island in the middle of nowhere for the summer, and en-route end up in embroiled in the middle of a treasure hunt for their grandfather's long-lost treasure after he suddenly disappeared one day. In the middle of this another character is attempting to buy the island out, and the two brothers befriend his daughter and go hunting for said treasure before he does.

I've written on IMDb before that I tend to gravitate towards the films that premier at Film Festivals, as opposed to at the cinema, and these sorts of films on the whole tend to be solid productions, built on low budgets with semi-decent scripts to match and a lot of the time can stand on their own with those pushed out by the big boys.

Lost & Found isn't the best film ever made on any level. The plot is too thinly stretched for a start and it feels like a standalone TV episode of something or other. Visual wise, the nature of the story requires it to be dark and moody, which it manages easily. Being a film festival movie, it cannot and would never attract big names.

Benjamin Stockham's character unfortunately falls into the "annoying little brother" and "smart arse kid" traps. That and his insistence of wearing water wings for the entire film even in the middle of the forest was irritating and it could have been interesting if the underground chamber flooded while he was wearing the wings...

Don't get me wrong, I liked Stockham in the movie as an actor but I had also seen him previously doing the "annoying little wannabe brother" thing in About A Boy as well, though in AAB it's a character trait, in L&F it's a "I wanna hang out with big bro come what may" thing which may grate.

I didn't hate the film, I would definitely watch again. Maybe a smidgen more dialogue work but only minor other work. Worth a watch.

Lost and Found is an adventure, mystery movie directed by Joseph Itaya and stars Justin Kelly, Benjamin Stockham, Jason Patric, Celeste Desjardins and Cary Elwes.

The most important parts of any movie is it's start, it's execution and then how to movie wraps. In my opinion the start the movie is interesting, execution is average and the conclusion is pathetic.

The genre of the movie is adventure, mystery and the director successfully able to maintain both until the climax where the viewers will feel as if they were waiting for nothing because the climax fizzes out all the hype and expectations that were created.

Screenplay of the movie is decent and the director hasn't wasted much time in the introduction of the plot and has came straight to the point. Cinematography is good although the scenes in the dark could've been shot more accurately. Acting is a little above average although Benjamin Stockham was surprisingly good. Background music was good.

Overall a decent movie which could've been superb provided the director would've worked on the climax of the movie.

Independent films often involve edgy subjects that can make them inappropriate for young people. With Lost & Found, however, writer/director Joseph Itaya has delivered an indie that a whole family could watch together.

After breaking the law, teenage Andy Walton (Justin Kelly) is sent to live with a mysterious uncle his father had never told him about. His younger brother, who senses an opportunity for adventure, begs to go along. They arrive on a creepy island bearing their family name, where they learn that their grandfather was a renowned codebreaker who amassed considerable wealth but disappeared leaving no record of his fortune.

After uncovering clues left by the grandfather, the brothers embark on a treasure hunt under the nose of a developer who hopes to steal their family legacy. Along the way, they must overcome the developer, a spooky forest, early 20th century gadgets and their uncle's loss of hope.

You'll likely recognize only two of the cast members: Benjamin Stockham, who played the titular boy in NBC's About a Boy, portrays younger brother Mark Walton. Jason Patric (The Lost Boys) plays Uncle Trent, a functioning alcoholic who runs a bait shop and constructs ships in bottles. Patric is good, but Stockham provides the bursts of energy that keep the plot moving.

It's a beautiful picture, with glorious aerial shots of the Washington coast. During a post-screening Q&A at the Sedona International Film Festival, Itaya said he wanted to film the whole thing in the state but couldn't afford to do so. Instead, he shot in Canada.

Canada also gifted Itaya two last-minute replacement actors: Kelly, who had been on Canadian TV series DeGrassi: The Next Generation, and Celeste Desjardins, who plays Claire, the developer's daughter and Andy's romantic interest. Amazingly, Itaya said Desjardins had no acting experience, not even a school play. She is arrestingly beautiful, however, and manages to handle the moderate challenges of the part.

I saw the film with a friend in her 20s, and we agreed that Lost & Found – though somewhat predictable at times, particularly in regard to the treasure hunt – exceeded our expectations. The hunt will entertain younger viewers, while the family dynamics – including an original plot twist – should keep adults interested.

Lost & Found has an important message for young people – that fortune takes many forms other than money.

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Stu Robinson practices writing, editing, media relations and social media through his business, Phoenix-based Lightbulb Communications.