Underplayed Gems

The Lost Bus (2025)

The Lost Bus poster
Directed by
Paul Greengrass
Genre
drama film, disaster film, survival film
Country
United States
Rated
R
Rating
7.0 of 10 from 761 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

Based on a true story, this film follows a bus driver and a teacher who evacuate schoolchildren during the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California. It shows their efforts to lead the kids to safety as the wildfire rapidly approaches.

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What happens

The Lost Bus is a 2025 American survival drama film directed by Paul Greengrass, who co-wrote the screenplay with Brad Ingelsby based on the 2021 book Paradise by Lizzie Johnson. It stars Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez and Ashlie Atkinson. It portrays a fictionalized version of the evacuation of schoolchildren during the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California by bus driver Kevin McKay and teacher Mary Ludwig. The Lost Bus premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025, and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on September 19. It began streaming on Apple TV+ on October 3. Critics gave The Lost Bus mostly positive reviews, praising Greengrass for the highly realistic visual effects and strong acting from McConaughey and Ferrera, though some reviewers felt the story was a bit predictable. At the 98th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Visual Effects. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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