Described as “a story of seekers,” Lost in New Mexico: the Strange Tale of Susan Hero is exactly that. A desperate young student stuck in a throwaway job seeks the help of an animal cloning expert, Dr. Morell, to bring her deceased daughter back to life. With a charming illegal immigrant sidekick, Hero searches for Morell who is also being pursued by the FBI for his questionable practices. Also, a Native American factors in somehow…

The movie reminds you with each shot that it is genuinely “independent.” From the FBI office that has a slider door, to the jerky slow motion sequences of reflection and dismay, the film may lose a good amount of viewers based solely on the production. That said there is something special here.

The premise, the characters and the general spirit of this movie make it more than another out-of-the-box Indie flick. It’s the sort of film that would probably be a sleeper hit if it had the money behind it. Doctor Morell has a kind of hippy-dippy attitude, the FBI agent experiences a Point Break-esque finale after an excruciating personal loss, and the immigrant even adds his own flavor of humor and morality into the mix. All of these elements float around within the film, in a way lost themselves, but not beyond recovery. Oh, and did I mention there is a Native American component? There is. In fact, it should have been a larger part of the story, but it sadly plays a more meager role than you may expect or wish it to.

If Pet Sematary and The Mexcian were ran headfirst into one another, the result might be this movie. That said, it’s definitely a fun little Sunday afternoon film to check out. Take the journey with Susan Hero and see what you find. Visit http://www.lostinnewmexicomovie.com.