User Reviews

A riverboat captain and his faithful dachshund search for lost treasure, and the fountain of youth, in rural Florida.

This is a very low budget production, with most of the roles filled by the director's family and friends. It's a very different film from Carter Lord's haunting, independent horror The Enchanted (1984), though the two films do share a few elements, including some atmospheric scenes in the forests and streams of Florida, where the images and soundtrack come together to convey a magical beauty. In this film, the forest spirits are just a fun way of making the place into a character, though I did wonder if only Evinrude and Fred can see them.

The real acting star here is Fred, who turns in a wonderful performance that was unaccountably overlooked by the jury of the coveted Palm Dog, an award he richly deserved. As well as doing his own stunts, including some quite dangerous-looking ones in a capsizing canoe, he also provides the film's best comic moments.

The story, and its environmental message, tends to get a bit lost in the editing, but the viewer is left with no doubt that the real treasure to seek is the Florida wilderness itself.

Mr.Lord captured the folksy, rural flavor of the old Florida in "The Enchanted". With "Lithium Springs" he takes his understanding of old Florida to even another level. My Florida pioneer, seventh generation relatives would turn over in their graves to see such an authentic look at the land and water they were raised on. Carter's unique insight into what Florida used to be about is remarkable. This film deserves to be supported and hailed as much more than an average independent movie. It stands alone among old Florida folklore and what really went on in the "old days" of our state. Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment!

Ben Carlton, Ph.D.

My advise... don't buy it, don't borrow it, don't watch it. This movie rates as one of the worst independent films I've ever seen without a doubt.

I've seen better home movies. If you want to see films about Florida, try 'Out of Time' with Denzel Washington (not G-Rated), 'Cross Creek' with Mary Steenburgen, Peter Coyote, and Rip Torn. You can't go wrong with this gem about real untouched Florida. Try 'Sunshine State' with Mary Steenburgen... 'Eulee's Gold' with Peter Fonda but no Mary Steenburgen, oh well. 'Ruby in Paradise' with Ashley Judd. Try 'Rosewood' for history.

THE BAD: It doesn't take a Ph.D. to see that it was an extremely low budget film, the cinematography hits you immediately with an "oh-oh" feeling. The acting is so poor that it gives the appearance of being created by high school kids that received the grade of C. The lines are not humorous or funny, they're cheesy. I've seen far better university film school productions.

This film is embarrassing to me as a Floridian (north Floridian), I saw great reviews on the official website but those people would have to have seen a different version of this film. I had wished I had actual lithium while watching this.

THE GOOD: Now the scenery is nice, a refreshing look a Florida's oak and palmetto forests with streams. It helps any movie to have a dog... but this movie needed 12 dogs.