TIFF Review: ‘The Lost Bus’ is an Intense and Visceral Experience From Paul Greengrass

The 2018 California Camp Fire was the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history. Wildfires are fascinating for films because they’re impersonal villains, just simply nature run amok. Seeing the damage and devastation that uncontrolled fires can cause is deeply intense, which The Lost Bus has in spades. The movie is a visceral experiences, based on true stories from the incident, and when it’s focused on survival or how agencies dealt with this unimaginable tragedy, things are tremendously realized. It’s just when the cliched narrative elements butt in that things feel a bit more generic. Still, you’ll probably not find a flick at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival that can get your heart racing like this one.

The Lost Bus has all of the hallmarks of Paul Greengrass, which largely benefits the film. The government response has a docudrama feel, while the actual sequences of the bus navigating the flames have a way of putting you directly into the action. The movie runs a little long and occasionally stops so a character can talk about their family, but when it’s more focused, it’s clear that Greengrass is firing on all cylinders.

School bus driver Kevin McCay (Matthew McConaughey) is back in his hometown of Paradise, California, feeling like he can’t catch a break. He’s divorced, having recently buried his estranged father, and taking care of his elderly mother, all while dealing with a rebellious teen son. Oh, and his dog needs to be put down because of a cancer diagnosis. So, the last thing he needs is for work to be even tougher, but on one particularly tough day, he’s running late to return his bus as a wildfire breaks out. Despite being about to end his day and get to his now sick son, when he gets a call requesting help for nearly two dozen children stranded at Ponderosa Elementary School, he knows he’s the only one in the area. So, he heads there, unaware that this is about to become the notorious and uncontrollable blaze.

Picking up the students, he asks teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) to accompany him and he kids. They’re supposed to head to a nearby school, but the fire is spreading quickly, eventually encapsulating that school. Cut off from communications and now stuck in the middle of the escalating fire, it becomes incumbent on Kevin to figure out a way to get them all to safety. The longer they drive, the less likely that appears. All the while, we watch first responders initially try to fight the fire, before turning their attention to attempting to save lives.

Matthew McConaughey fits the intensity of the production on the whole. His determined expression is often what we’re holding on to as the bus averts danger. America Ferrera brings a calm to her character, while also getting properly spooked when the moment calls for it. This isn’t the most actor friendly of flicks, but both do strong work, overall. Ferrera and McConaughey get most of the screen time, though small roles exist for Ashlie Atkinson, Yul Vazquez, Spencer Watson, and more.

Filmmaker Paul Greengrass wrote the adaptation with Brad Ingelsby, while directing as well. The screenplay has highs and lows, as the first responser elements recall a similar situation in United 93. However, there’s also multiple scenes of family dynamics that serves little more than to bloat the running time. Greengrass’ direction, on the other hand, is terrific, give or take early pacing. Once the fire rages and the bus is cut off, you won’t be able to catch your breath.

The Lost Bus is about as intense and visceral as it gets. If not for some cliched story moments that feel jammed in, this would really be something. Still, it’s a very good film and a high profile World Premiere here at TIFF. Whether or not it becomes an awards player, fans of Greengrass would do well to check this one out, either in theaters later on this month, or when it streams on Apple TV+ in October.

SCORE: ★★★