They’re a beautiful couple. She’s of New Zealand descent but you hardly even notice right off since they don’t even talk much. They dine and explore and jump in the water and are a lot of fun just to watch.
Collie is a model of some note and as such has a built-in magnetism with the camera. Blubaugh can’t take his eyes off of her either, and she clearly adores him.
It’s a little crazy that Collie was cast after the original lead had to leave a week into the shoot — a process that’s to be chronicled in the impending accompanying documentary, “At the Helm: The Making of Lotawana.” Crazier still is that as replacement, she had such a splendid chemistry with Blubaugh the two indeed fell in love during the production and later got married in real life.
It would be just as enjoyable to see the two scamper through life in the splendid setting and call it a day. But life carries with its own drama and before long they endure a tragedy. The two try to keep things together, though the trauma has changed things. It triggers a curiosity in her and furthers her rebelliousness, fueled by strained relations with her mother.
It eventually takes a turn one may not expect for such a lovely film, but that’s also the nature of sprawling lakes, where a dark surprise could be just around the next cove.
Though there’s the irony of having a seafaring tale told in a landlocked state, “Lotawana” is worth celebrating for all of its well-shot natural splendors and a story that is both naturalistic and better than most of those couple on the run stories that helped define the best of 70s filmmaking.
A delight to find as an independent debut, “Lotawana,” with its beautiful tableau and singular vision has the heart to succeed as a cult hit and maybe even a classic. As down home and back to basics as its story appears to be, “Lotawana” has already made its name as the first film available as a NFT, a non-fungible token registered by blockchain technology. Stills, posters and tickets of the film are available (and apparently selling) as NFTs, though the film, like the sailing couple, will be able to be freely seen in theaters unencumbered by such technology.
“Lotawana” will be released on all major platforms Feb. 22, 2022 with a brief theatrical run in Los Angeles in February.