352. The Lost Daughter; movie review

 

THE LOST DAUGHTER

Cert 15

122 mins

BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, strong sex

With Olivia Colman starring in Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, the Lost Daughter is already gathering enough plaudits to put it in the Oscar shake-up.

But, frankly, I was left wondering why there is so much fuss surrounding it.

Sure, Colman gives a nuanced performance in the lead role but the movie jerks around so much I was dizzy and the only point it seems to be making is that parenting is tough.

Well, who knew?

Anyway, Colman plays Lela - a professor who has found an idyllic Greek beachside spot to relax and write on a summer vacation.

She is settled in by her amiable landlord (Ed Harris) but there is a distant loneliness about the holidaymaker.

And her mood darkens further when her tranquility is disturbed by a boisterous extended family.

Among them she sees a young mother (Dakota Johnson) struggling to handle the demands of her toddler daughter.

The little girl then goes missing and the frantic search stirs echoes of Lela's tormented past with her own children.

The movie then zips back and forth between present and the past with Jessie Buckley playing Lela as selfish hedonistic young woman who clearly should never have been a mother.

Indeed, even now she is twice as old, it is obvious there is still something not quite right about her.

I doubt that I am Gyllenhaal's target audience but The Lost Daughter just didn't chime despite its excellent cast.

I found the characters unsympathetic, its pace slow to the point of being dreary.

Sure, its setting is beautiful and there are moments among the stressful parenting which resonate but I expected more than those minor takeaways from a Colman/Gyllenhaal collaboration.

I will be disappointed if it wins as many awards as is being suggested.

Reasons to watch: Olivia Colman - always excellent

Reasons to avoid: Slow going

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? Elena Farrante (the author of the source novel) only approved of the film's adaptation if it would be directed by a woman.

The final word. Maggie Gyllenhaal: "‘I've been a mother for 15 years, so I’m in the middle of it. I have some experience now. And I think even from the moment that they're born, the spectrum of feelings is huge. There’s ecstasy and joy and this unfathomable connection on one side. And on the other side, there's real terror and anxiety.’" Elle

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