"that combination of friendship, ridiculousness and genuine emotion gives the film considerably more than just a succession of jokes"

Directed by Matthew Highton and starring Highton alongside Richard Soames, Briony Redman and Rufus Hound, Lost on the Road is an incredibly funny film written by Highton, Redman and Soames that thrilled audiences at the October edition of the London Independent Film Festival.

Largely improvised, Lost on the Road sees four estranged friends — Jack (Soames), Claire (Redman), Phil (Highton) and Ruff (Hound) — who used to spend their time playing Dungeons & Dragons reunite to embark on a long walk through the English countryside on their way to Jack’s stag party.

Naturally, hilarity ensues.

Filled with homages to The Lord of the Rings — all the way down to Jack’s fiancée Sarah (Katie French) being referred to as The Eye of Sarah in the credits, as well as appearing as an eye on Jack’s phone — and the occasional flashes of outright absurdity, it’s tongue-in-cheek and an enormously fun ride as Jack slowly begins to realise that marriage may not be the path for him right now.

But Lost on the Road has a lot of heart to it too, much of that coming through Rufus Hound’s Ruff, who seems perpetually close to boiling point throughout the film’s 87-minute runtime.

That combination of friendship, ridiculousness and genuine emotion gives the film considerably more than just a succession of jokes.

All in all, Lost on the Road is a very funny film from first-time filmmaker Matthew Highton, and whatever the future holds for it after its LIFF world premiere, by the time the credits roll there’s one thing you really want to know: 

What happens next?