The Lost Daughter (2021) Movie Review

It’s no secret that I love Olivia Colman. She’s one of the best actors working right now and she rarely gives a bad performance. The Lost Daughter intrigued me first and foremost because she was in it. However, I was doubly intrigued when I learned it would be Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut. I’m a huge fan of Gyllenhaal and think she’s severely underrated as an actor. I couldn’t wait to see what she did as a director.

The Lost Daughter is a character study of Leda (Olivia Colman), a professor who goes on holiday to Italy. Her relaxing vacation is interrupted when a rowdy group of Americans arrives to enjoy the beach. Leda watches the family from afar and takes a special interest in Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter. When the young girl goes missing, it is Leda who finds her. Via flashbacks, we see Leda as a younger woman trying to raise her own two daughters. She is a scholar and academic, trying to advance her career in translation while simultaneously being a mother. It becomes clear that motherhood is suffocating her and she struggles to juggle being a mom and pursuing individual success in her profession.

The parallels between Leda and Nina as mothers is evident. Both are overwhelmed and perhaps long for a world in which they can do what they want without thinking of their children. As Leda notes, motherhood is a “crushing responsibility.” Leda as a character is interesting and keeps you on your toes. She oscillates between having an absurd boost of confidence and wanting to sit back and be a wallflower. There’s an odd twist involving a baby doll that adds some mystery and tension to the plot. It certainly kept me watching to see what would wind up happening.

Olivia Colman puts in a master class on acting with minute facial expressions. Her face showcases the whirlwind of emotions that are dredged up each time she thinks about the past. It’s truly a spectacular and complex performance. She is complemented by an excellent performance from Dakota Johnson, who is mysterious but relatable all at once. The two women are drawn to each other, almost as if they know how the other feels before they’ve even met. Their conversations are full of double meanings, subtext, and intrigue. Seeing them on screen together was one of the best pairings this year.

I knew the acting would be stellar since Colman was involved, but the directing by Gyllenhaal held up fairly well. She certainly chose some intense subject matter for her first film, and does a nice job of exploring motherhood and what that can do to your individuality. She also includes an interesting conversation about the role of fathers and how different it is for them. Several of the men in Leda’s orbit have children that they did not help raise and society tends to view that very differently than if it is the mother who is not around. This type of subtle commentary infused the movie with deeper themes to explore. It was a remarkable first effort from Gyllenhaal and she’s once again proven to have more talent than people give her credit for.

The Lost Daughter is an odd journey and an emotional rollercoaster. But the themes it tackles are ones that are often hushed by society. Motherhood is hard and sometimes inevitably, mothers wish that they could not be mothers for a while. A darker movie than you’d expect, The Lost Daughter is an excellent exploration of motherhood and the choices one makes. 

You’ll like this movie if:
1. You love Olivia Colman
2. You like slow moving character studies
3. You like unconventional stories about motherhood