Reel Rundown: Real-life fire disaster comes to (intense and dramatized) life in ‘The Lost Bus’
On Nov. 8, 2018, a high-voltage transmission line in California’s Feather River Canyon, buffeted by unusually strong winds, broke and ignited what became the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history.
Before the fire – which came to be known as the Camp Fire – was brought under control some 17 days later, the blaze had burned more than 150,000 acres, killed 85 people and caused a reported $16.5 billion in damage.
As with any such disaster, natural or otherwise, countless acts of heroism were performed by fire crews and police officers, not to mention regular members of the Butte County community.
One of those regular guys was Kevin McKay. And it is he who is the central figure in “The Lost Bus,” a film streaming on Apple TV+. Directed by Paul Greengrass, and adapted by Greengrass and Brad Inglesby, the film is based on a book by the journalist Lizzie Johnson.
Forgive the spoiler but the story was well-publicized at the time: McKay was a relatively new driver who ended up ferrying 22 grade-school students and a couple of teachers to safety amid a chaotic and potentially deadly situation.
Actually, McKay’s story is only part of Johnson’s book. A reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, Johnson was in the town of Paradise while the fire incinerated a reported 85% of the city’s buildings. Her book documents the disaster and the legal aftermath.
(The cause of the fire turned out to be a meld of years of drought and poorly managed infrastructure by Pacific Gas & Electric, the company that provides natural gas and electricity to the northern two thirds of California. PG&E eventually filed for bankruptcy protection and ended up paying billions in compensation.)
As is the case with most such films based on calamity, much of what “The Lost Bus” depicts is an exaggerated view of what occurred. For one thing, McKay was not the only adult on the bus. The movie features only the teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) shepherding the children. In reality another teacher, Abbie Davis, was there as well.
And courtesy of the magic of computer graphics, the real-life, five-hour trek that McKay, the teachers and the children went on looks as if they had to drive through the gates of hell. As frightening as the real-life ordeal must have been, movies always make things look worse … or better, at least to those looking on from the safety of their living rooms.
The intensity that the movie achieves should come as no surprise. Greengrass is no newcomer to action filmmaking. Though his best film arguably is 2003’s “Bloody Sunday,” he also directed 2006’s “United 93,” 2013’s “Captain Phillips” and three of the five “Jason Bourne” features.
Here, he and co-screenwriter Inglesby ratchet up the intensity, particularly over the first 45 minutes. The fictional McKay, well played by McConaughey, is battling medical bills, difficulties with his teenage son (played by his real-life son, Levi McConaughey), hassles with his ex-wife and the intractable demands of his boss (Ashlie Atkinson). Complicating matters, he even has to put down his dog.
All this plays out as we watch the fire, fueled by the wind, sweep over the landscape, torching everything and everyone in its path. And it does so despite the quick, but vain, actions of the teams led by the fire chief in charge (Yul Vasquez standing in as a composite of several real-life officials).
Residents of this part of the Inland Northwest have endured their own experiences with such disasters. And many of the survivors no doubt have witnessed acts of heroism.
Maybe someday a movie star like McConaughey will come to town to tell their stories as well.