Erik Bloomquist’s erotic/psychological thriller Long Lost explores family bonds, adult games (get your mind out of the gutter, I’m talking sharks and minnows), and identity.

Seth (Adam Weppler) is a twenty-four-year-old blogger. His parents are dead, he’s single, and he only recently got any sort of permanent residence. You could call him ungrounded. The film begins with him driving to an isolated mansion to meet Richard (Nicholas Tucci, You’re Next), the thirty-eight-year-old half-brother he only just learned about. It’s an interesting premise that allows writer/director Bloomquist to play with family expectations and obligations while keeping the leads strangers.

Richard is super rich, a control freak, and he’s dating Abby (Catherine Corcoran, Terrifier), a flirtatious cool girl Seth is instantly attracted to. The majority of the movie revolves around the increasing tension between these three characters. Seth makes for a great everyman protagonist. He’s quiet and takes in Richard’s bizarre antics (like the most intense game of Chubby Bunny ever filmed!) with realistic reservations.

You know that thing where you’re at a party and somebody you don’t know well is really intense and a bit too much, so after they leave the room, everyone else lets out this shared awkward laugh? That’s Richard throughout the whole movie. His deadpan intensity is really fun in a dark way. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about…chances are when you leave a room, everyone else lets out an awkward laugh.

There’s a great sense of feeling uneasiness to the film that kept me off-balance the entire time. I never knew where the story was heading…or if I could even trust anybody’s actions. Are Richard and Abby lying to Seth? Is Richard and Abby lying to Seth and each other? Is anybody even lying?

Is the hottub scene supposed to have incestuous undertones?

There’s a lot to unpack about how it all plays out, but I’m loathe to spoil anything. I will say that I found it all surprising and very satisfactory.

Troy’s Takeaway: Long Lost looks fantastic and the acting is solid all the way through. I’m not sure if it completely works as a slow burn erotic/psychological thriller, but the “what’s going to happen next?” tone is fun and kept me invested. I was completely unaware of Erik Bloomquist before this, but I’m already excited for his next feature, the horror Ten Minutes to Midnight (reuniting actors Adam Weppler and Nicholas Tucci).

Long Lost is currently available on most streaming services.