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Writer's pictureKyle Bain

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Leda (Olivia Colman) is just a simple woman. She’s a professor who loves to read and write, and she enjoys spending her time on holiday at the beach, simply relaxing and taking in the beauty of the world around her. However, when Leda is reminded of something from her past, a darkness inside of her will rise to the surface. The Lost Daughter is Leda’s journey toward finding herself in the most interesting of ways; but discovering who she really is may not be what she had hoped for.


I instantly fell in love with the soundtrack and the score. There is something perfectly mysterious about the music that transcends the film, and it’s everything the film needs to succeed. There is a song featured in The Lost Daughter called “Casual But Serious,” and this title alone seems to capture the essence of the entire soundtrack–and really the entirety of the film. The soundtrack is quite beautiful, but the tone of the film as a whole is incredibly tense and uncomfortable–and the soundtrack is each of these things wrapped into one. From beginning to end the score and the soundtrack never relent, and something astounding is created as a result.


As a viewer, you’re sort of pulled in two completely opposite directions throughout the course of The Lost Daughter. I so badly wanted to accept the film at face value and buy into the idea that each of the characters were thoughtful, generous, and kind–but there’s always something lurking in the shadows, and I couldn’t help but anticipate that something horrid was just around the corner at all times. The dialogue, soundtrack, and incredible acting by everyone involved allow this veritable darkness to exist throughout, and it’s impossible to ever truly escape what horrible thing might happen next. Maggie Gyllenhaal makes her directorial debut here with The Lost Daughter, and she captures the very real nature of being human and dealing with hardship. With every piece of this film, Gyllenhaal quickly proves her worth in the director’s chair, and creates something emotionally riveting.


Everything about The Lost Daughter is beautiful–the score, lighting, cinematography, etc., but the most brilliant aspect of the entire film is the acting, particularly that of Colman and Jessie Buckley (young Leda). Interestingly, these two actors who play the same character at different ages are tasked with bringing said character to life in entirely different ways. Buckley is passionate, energetic, and excitable–and Colman is reserved, understanding, and simple. Each version of the character is relatable in more ways than one, and without these two individuals in those roles I’m not sure that the character ever comes to life so vividly. Leda is not the greatest person, and, in many ways, viewers may see her as horrible–but I love the character in every single way. I don’t think she’s necessarily a good person, but through the performances of Colman and Buckley a light shines through and reminds viewers that no one is perfect. I see bits of myself in this character, and the actors’ ability to create such a wonderful connection between character and viewer is a major part of why The Lost Daughter is so successful.


Three nominations at this year’s Academy Awards seems, on paper, like it may be a fair assessment of the film, but The Lost Daughter deserves more. Best Motion Picture of the Year should have been a nomination that the film received, as it hits every note with precision and grace. The Lost Daughter is incredibly relevant. It’s full of compelling acting, beautiful imagery, mysteriously wonderful sound, and just about everything else to appeal to viewers. The Lost Daughter is, without a doubt, one of the best films of 2021, and Gyllenhaal deserves every bit of praise she receives.


Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.


Written by Maggie Gyllenhaal & Elena Ferrante.


Starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Dominczyk, Robyn Elwell, Jack Farthing, Ellie Mae Blake, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Panos Koronis, etc.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10


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