2021 has been a fantastic year for directorial feature debuts and The Lost Daughter is another fantastic addition into this set of films. A masterful deconstruction of motherhood and the toll that takes on a woman, The Lost Daughter explores the often messy journey of becoming a mother and reassesses how the world often views motherhood incredibly glowingly by showcasing the weight that responsibly can take on someone.
The performances by every single actor is beyond incredible. Olivia Coleman continues her trend of never giving a bad performance. What’s wildly fascinating to me is how smarty the casting of Coleman was, since the character that she plays is so sharp and cold which paired with Coleman’s often inviting nature makes for a beautiful dichotomy. Dakota Johnson really surprised me, giving one of my most favourite performances of the year. She does this intriguing thing throughout the film where she says something but it’s glaringly obvious that she means something entirely different, it made her character feel so real cause people do this all the time. Also Jesse Buckley is fantastic, it’s terrifying how accurate she is at playing Olivia Coleman, she nails certain mannerisms and vocal fluctuations so well it’s incredible to watch.
The film is shot with such an intimacy that at points it becomes anxiety inducing. Through the genius cinematography, the invasive score, the ingenious sound design and the frantic editing, what would be a peaceful, idyllic story becomes an anxious illusion. This allows the film to set up multiple mysteries by simply not explaining decisions. At some points this attempt at making the film mysterious is a detriment as some plot points are never explored or explained.
This film feels like there’s a voice behind it, it’s masterfully directed and the film is imbued with so much heart despite it following someone who makes a lot of bad decisions. Hearing Maggie Gyllenhaal talk about this film and how it was made is amazing and I highly recommend it, I’m excited to see what she directs next.
★★★★
