A confident, eloquent directorial debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal (who also adapted Elena Ferrante’s 2008 novel for the screen) masks what is a hybrid esoteric confusion of a narrative.
Heading alone for a working holiday on an out-of-season Greek island, Professor Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman – The Favourite, The Father) finds herself enthralled by a large, troublesome American family. The young mother, Nina (Dakota Johnson – Fifty Shades of Grey, The Peanut Butter Falcon), and her demanding daughter Elena are of particular interest. As memories of her own troubled times as a young mother (played by Jessie Buckley – Wild Rose, Beast) with two girls come flooding back, so a lonely Leda looks to the consequences of decisions made both past and present.
Full of pregnant pauses and searching glances, The Lost Daughter is a layered but muddied exploration of motherhood and expected behaviour. Colman, as usual, is exceptional in a role where she is simultaneously vulnerable and immensely unlikeable. Yet, as time and place ebb and flow, so a confusion of purpose results.
Nominated for 3 Oscars in 2022 – best actress, supporting actress, adapted screenplay.
Rating: 64%
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