Review of The Lost Daughter (2021) by Jluis_001 — 31 Dec 2021

I don't mind non-linear narratives, but I have to admit that initially, The Lost Daughter caught me a little off guard.

Its content makes sense of course, but initially it's impossible not to feel a little lost and confused, because this film starts with its ending, and finding out what happens to Leda (Olivia Colman) is not easy at first.

Needless to say the mystery begins to unfold, and I'll tell you up front that it's not about anything sinister or anything like that. In fact it's a tragic story, but I applaud first-time director Maggie Gyllenhaal who never seeks to make it easy or explain what's going on in a rushed way. No, Gyllenhaal withholds the mystery, not to drive her drama and keep you interested in knowing the outcome, but because it's necessary for the pieces to fall into place properly and for you as the viewer to be really involved with it.

The crux of the matter lies in the past and youth of Leda's character, which in those sequences is played by Jessie Buckley. And it's that point in the story that gives full meaning to the odyssey that the present day Leda is experiencing.

The Lost Daughter is more about context than about exposition or catharsis. In fact to my interpretation there's none, and its ending though ambiguous, hints at a conclusion that may be equally tragic and bittersweet, yet it may also signify rest and liberation for its main character.

This was a very good film. One of the best Netflix released in 2021. Precisely on the last day of the year.