The Lost Daughter movie review: Maggie Gyllenhaal makes a tender directorial debut with a thematically dense adaptation of Elena Ferrante's novel.
"Don't feel bad about me," Dakota Johnson's mysterious young mother tells the legendary-sounding Leda in the new Netflix film The Lost Daughter. Played by Olivia Colman, Leda voices her concerns. "Oh, I don't mind anyone," she says in the Oscar-winner's distinctive singing voice. And it's driving the spirit behind debutant director Maggie Gyllenhaal's film.
Based on the elegant novel by Elena Ferrante, The Lost Daughter is a film about not-so-nice people, but you won't catch writer-director Gyllenhaal judging them. In any case, the film is sympathetic to its characters, the most prominent of whom is a middle-aged divorcee, who makes it clear on several occasions that she was not quite ready for motherhood.
While on a 'work holiday' in a beachside Greek town, Leda's enjoyment is badly interrupted by a rowdy New York family. They demand entitlement as they demand that Leda take her things aside and make room for them on the beach. More from his inherent defensiveness than anything else, Leda refuses, but ends up painting a target on his back for the rest of the trip. The rude family is not used to hearing no for answers, and it shows. Have you ever been to a quiet mountain cafe gazing calmly at the sunset, only to find someone asking out loud if butter chicken is on the menu?
Leda, a scholar of Italian literature who has a ringtone that sounds like a Miles Davis song, can't help but thumb his nose at the beer-guzzling, tracksuit-wearing lunkheads that have hit his private The beach has been polluted. She gives them such a disgusting look that you'd think she's just seen the storm of Normandy.
But she's drawn to the quietest of them all—Nina, the young mother played by Johnson, who appears to be as distressed at the idea of taking care of a child as Leda when she was her age. They exchange looks, and before long, develop a cool relationship.
When she sees Nina, who is on the verge of a mental breakdown while struggling to care for her daughter Elena, Leda is shocked by memories of her own past as a young mother to two daughters. In these flashbacks, she is played by Jesse Buckley, one of the most exciting actresses of her generation, and perhaps the only one who could go toe-to-toe with Coleman in a narrative, for which each of them is required to operate. same level.
On one of her visits, young Leda is seduced by a swan-like academic, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who, in a moment of symbolism, who turns out to be a lad on the nose, recites Yates to her. in Italian. No wonder he didn't judge Nina when he caught her in a compromising position.
For a Peril in Paradise movie, Gyllenhaal isn't so much concerned about taking off her body as she is about sneaking into her mind. Most of his handheld camera rests on the face, and taps scenes on his own terms. It's assured filmmaking; Gyllenhaal is a first-time director with a voice — someone who can add suspense to an unbroken shot of an orange peel.
The Lost Daughter is a complicated story about motherhood that makes the bold decision not to offset the potentially alienating drama by offering the perspective of Leda's daughters. Nor does it sue her for relinquishing her maternal duties.
But there is a feeling that Leda has put herself on trial. She tears easily, and clings to Nina without resistance, despite knowing that she's probably inviting trouble. It is quite clear that Leda has created barriers around herself, but it is never clear whether this is a mechanism to protect herself from others, or to protect others from herself.
But it certainly debunks many age-old notions about motherhood. The Lost Daughter is a film about a passionate woman made with a very gentle hand. Leda and Nina have not only resigned to the fact that they are emotionally detached, they are trapped in a crippling cycle of wanting to conform, but also want to break free. In Leda, Nina can see her future, and this scares her. And in Nina, Leda can see her past. Unlike the orange peel, this chain will probably remain unbroken.
The Lost Daughter is a complicated story about motherhood that makes the bold decision not to offset the potentially alienating drama by offering the perspective of Leda's daughters. Nor does it sue her for relinquishing her maternal duties.
But there is a feeling that Leda has put herself on trial. She tears easily, and clings to Nina without resistance, despite knowing that she's probably inviting trouble. It is quite clear that Leda has created barriers around herself, but it is never clear whether this is a mechanism to protect herself from others, or to protect others from herself.
But it certainly dismantles several age-old notions about motherhood. The Lost Daughter is a movie about unfeeling women, made with a tremendously tender hand. Leda and Nina haven’t simply resigned to the fact that they’re emotionally detached, they’re caught in a crippling cycle of wanting to conform, but also wanting to break free. In Leda, Nina can see her future, and it terrifies her. And in Nina, Leda can see her past. Unlike the orange peel, this chain will likely remain unbroken.
The Lost Daughter
The Lost Daughter director – Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Lost Daughter cast – Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard
The Lost Daughter rating – 4.5 stars