Ryan Gosling's directorial debut "Lost River" will be given a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles after receiving largely negative reviews from the Cannes Film Festival last May.  According to Variety, the film was originally not to be released in US theaters at all.

The Independent reports that the movie will be starring Matt Smith, Christina Hendricks, and Gosling's girlfriend Eva Mendes, and will be distributed by Warner Bros largely on home entertainment platforms this upcoming April. A more specific release date has yet to be confirmed.

"Lost River" premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section after first being called "How to Catch a Monster." Warner Bros. did not produce the film, but picked it up at Cannes. According to Slash Film, the reasons why WB invested in the work have not yet been made public.

The production companies included are Marc Platt, Phantasma Films and Bold Films production. Producers include Platt, Gosling, Adam Siegel, Michel Litvak and David Lancaster.

The script, which was written by Gosling, centers on a single mother swept into a dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town.

So far, critics have been rather harsh, stating that the film is "unthinkingly offensive", "ultimately kind of juvenile" and "a student film with an A-list cast." Variety film critic Justin Chang also did not mince his words, stating, "It's perversely admirable to the extent that Gosling has certainly put himself out there, sans shame or apology, but train-wreck fascination will go only so far to turn this misguided passion project into an item of even remote commercial interest."