Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2021
The Lost Daughter
Buy The Lost Daughter now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'The Lost Daughter' is a 2021 psychological drama film written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal (in her feature directorial debut), inspired by the 2006 novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante. The film stars Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Domiczyk, Jack Farthing, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, with Peter Sarsgaard, and Ed Harris. Colman also serves as an executive producer.
'The Lost Daughter' had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2021, where Gyllenhaal won the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay. It began a theatrical limited release in the United States on December 17, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on December 31. The film was acclaimed by critics, and at the 94th Academy Awards received three nominations: Best Actress (Colman), Best Supporting Actress (Buckley), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Plot
While on holiday in Greece, middle-aged university professor and noted translator, Leda Caruso, meets Nina, a young mother, after Nina's three-year-old daughter Elena goes momentarily missing on the beach. Leda finds Elena and returns her to Nina, who expresses her growing exhaustion and unhappiness. Elena is upset after she loses her favorite doll, which Leda has secretly taken. In flashbacks, it is revealed that young Leda also struggled with being a young mother to her two daughters, Bianca and Martha, often losing her patience and becoming withdrawn from her family.
One evening, Leda has dinner with Lyle, her holiday apartment's caretaker, who sees that she has the doll but doesn't comment on it, nor does he tell Nina. Leda later discovers Nina is having an affair with Will, who works at the beach bar, and Nina explains that her husband Toni is very controlling. The search for Elena's doll continues, with Nina even putting up flyers offering a reward for its return.
At a market, Leda buys Nina a hatpin to help hold her sunhat in place. When Nina asks Leda about her daughters, Leda becomes emotional; she reveals that she had abandoned them for three years after she became too overwhelmed, leaving them with her now ex-husband, during which time she had an affair with a fellow professor. She admits that being away from her daughters felt "amazing," and she only went back to them when she genuinely missed them. Nina learns that Leda knows about her and Will, and Will later asks Leda if they can borrow her apartment to have sex.
The next day when Nina arrives at Leda's to get the apartment keys, Leda admits to being a selfish and "unnatural" mother and warns Nina that her depression will never go. Leda also gives her Elena's doll, confessing that she took it and that she was "just playing." Nina reacts angrily and stabs Leda in the stomach with the hatpin before leaving. That night, Leda packs her bags and leaves the resort, but drives her car off the road due to the pain from her wound. She stumbles down the beach and collapses on the shoreline.
The next morning, Leda awakens on the beach and calls Bianca, who happens to be with Martha. They express their relief to hear from their mother, from whom they had not heard in several days. Leda says she is fine and then looks down to discover an orange in her hands; she peels the orange skin off "like a snake," the way she had done for her daughters when they were little.
Cast
Production
Maggie Gyllenhaal acquired the film rights to the Elena Ferrante novel in October 2018, and wrote and directed the adaptation.[https://deadline.com/2018/10/maggie-gyllenhaal-directing-the-lost-daughter-film-1202476689/ Maggie Gyllenhaal Acquires The Lost Daughter Novel To Make Her Film Directorial Debut]
The lead character, Leda, says that she is named for the woman in the W. B. Yeats poem "Leda and the Swan", which Yeats based on the Leda story of Greek mythology.[https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-lost-daughter-review/ Amidon, Aurora. "The Lost Daughter Understands That Womanhood Is Profoundly Complicated". 'Paste Magazine'. December 15, 2021][https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43292/leda-and-the-swan Leda and the Swan poem - accessed 1/5/2022]
In February 2020, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson and Peter Sarsgaard were cast in the film.[https://deadline.com/2020/02/the-lost-daughter-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-dakota-johnson-peter-sarsgaard-set-for-maggie-gyllenhaals-efm-bound-directorial-debut-1202858174/ The Lost Daughter: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson & Peter Sarsgaard Set For Maggie Gyllenhaals EFM-Bound Directorial Debut] In August, Paul Mescal was added,[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/normal-people-breakout-paul-mescal-joins-maggie-gyllenhaal-directorial-debut-the-lost-daughter-exclusive 'Normal People' Breakout Paul Mescal Joins Maggie Gyllenhaal Directorial Debut 'The Lost Daughter' (Exclusive)] and in October 2020, Oliver Jackson-Cohen was cast as well, with Ed Harris, Dagmara Domiczyk, Jack Farthing and Alba Rohrwacher joining in November.
Principal photography began in Spetses, Greece, in September 2020.
Release
'The Lost Daughter' had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2021. In August 2021, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film in the United States and several other countries, adding more markets, including the United Kingdom, in October. The film screened at film festivals in the Telluride, Hamptons, London, Lyon Metropolis, Mill Valley, Montclair, New York, San Diego (closing night), Zurich, and Whistler Film Festival. It was released in the United States on December 17, 2021, in a limited release prior to streaming on Netflix on December 31, 2021.
Reception
At its opening night world premiere, the movie received a four-minute standing ovation from Venice Film Festival attendees in the Sala Grande.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 230 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A strikingly assured debut for writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal, 'The Lost Daughter' unites a brilliant cast in service of a daringly ambitious story." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on reviews from 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Mick LaSalle of the 'San Francisco Chronicle' wrote: "Still, no matter how flat 'The Lost Daughter' can sometimes seem, there's always something to hold our attention. The movie is never great, but it's never exactly dull. There's always a reason to stick around for the next scene."
Jeannette Catsoulis of 'The New York Times' wrote: Equal parts troubling and affecting, Leda epitomizes a type of woman whose needs are rarely addressed in American mainstream movies. We can dislike her, but we are never permitted to revile her. Michael Phillips of the 'Chicago Tribune' wrote Gyllenhaal keeps a close eye on what brings out the best in a scene, and in a story worth telling, with morally imperfect, fully dimensional, persistently human characters.
Alissa Wilkinson of 'Vox' wrote The movie captures the spirit of the novel well. Its suspenseful, but its not a thriller; there are elements of obsession and eroticism, but they never quite go where you expect. The end is deeply ambiguous, neither punishing nor condoning its characters behavior. It simply asks us to sit with them to pay them the respect of attention, and learn something about ourselves in the process.
Armond White, who is known for his contrarian reviews, gave a negative assessment in the 'National Review,' saying the film is so perfectly rotten that it surely reflects some twisted, deep-seated attitude held by Maggie Gyllenhaal, the actress turned director-writer, again taking to her soapbox for a politically modish statement.
Accolades
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Date of ceremony
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Recipients
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"|Venice International Film Festival
| rowspan="2"|September 11, 2021
|Golden Lion
| 'The Lost Daughter'
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Golden Osella for Best Screenplay
|Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="5"| Gotham Independent Film Awards
| rowspan="5"|November 29, 2021
| Best Feature
| Charles Dorfman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman-Keren and Talia Kleinhendler
|
| rowspan="5"|
|-
| Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
| rowspan="2"|Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
|
|-
| Outstanding Lead Performance
| Olivia Colman
|
|-
| Outstanding Supporting Performance
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
! scope="row" |New York Film Critics Circle
| December 3, 2021
|Best First Film
| 'The Lost Daughter'
|
|
|-
! scope="row" |Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards
| December 6, 2021
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
|
|-
!scope="row" |New York Film Critics Online
|December 12, 2021
| Top 10 Films of 2021
|'The Lost Daughter'
|
|
|-
!scope="row" rowspan="2"|Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
| rowspan="2"|December 12, 2021
| Best Supporting Actress
| Jessie Buckley
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best New Filmmaker
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4"|Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| rowspan="4"|December 15, 2021
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
| rowspan="4"|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| rowspan="2"|Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
| Milos Stehlik Breakthrough Filmmaker Award
|
|-
! scope="row"|St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards
|December 19, 2021
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"|DallasFort Worth Film Critics Association
| rowspan="2"|December 20, 2021
| Best Picture
| 'The Lost Daughter'
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
|-
! scope="row" |National Society of Film Critics
| January 8, 2022
| Best Supporting Actress
| Jessie Buckley
|
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="8"|Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards
| rowspan="8"|January 2022
| Best Film
| 'The Lost Daughter'
|
| rowspan="8"|
|-
| Best Director
| rowspan="4"|Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
| Best Screenplay, Adapted
|
|-
| Best Woman Director
|
|-
| Best Woman Screenwriter
|
|-
| Best Actress
| rowspan="2"|Olivia Colman
|
|-
| Most Daring Performance Award
|
|-
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Golden Globe Awards
| rowspan="2"| January 9, 2022
| Best Director
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
| Olivia Colman
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"|San Diego Film Critics Society
| rowspan="2"|January 10, 2021
| Best Director
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4"|San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle
| rowspan="4"|January 10, 2022
| Best Director
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
| rowspan="4"|
|-
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"|Austin Film Critics Association
| rowspan="2"|January 11, 2022
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best First Film
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
!scope="row" rowspan="3"|Toronto Film Critics Association
| rowspan="3"|January 16, 2022
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
| rowspan="3"|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
| Best First Feature
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"|Houston Film Critics Society Awards
| rowspan="2"|January 19, 2022
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"|Online Film Critics Society Awards
| rowspan="3"|January 24, 2022
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
| rowspan="3"|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| rowspan="2"|Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
| Best Debut Feature
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="6"|London Film Critics Circle Awards
| rowspan="6"|February 6, 2022
| Film of the Year
| 'The Lost Daughter'
|
| rowspan="6"|
|-
| Actress of the Year
| rowspan="2"|Olivia Colman
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|British/Irish Actress of the Year (for body of work)
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
| Supporting Actress of the Year
|
|-
| Screenwriter of the Year
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row"| Set Decorators Society of America Awards
| February 22, 2022
| Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film
| Christine-Athina Vlachos, Inbal Weinberg
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| USC Scripter Awards
| February 26, 2022
| Best Adapted Screenplay - Film
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Screen Actors Guild Awards
| February 27, 2021
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
| Olivia Colman
|
|
|-
! scope="row" |Art Directors Guild Awards
| March 5, 2022
| Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film
| Inbal Weinberg
|
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4"| Independent Spirit Awards
| rowspan="4"|March 6, 2022
| Best Feature
| Charles Dorfman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman-Keren and Talia Kleinhendler
|
| rowspan="4"|
|-
| Best Director
| rowspan="2"|Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
|
|-
| Best Supporting Female
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
! scope="row" | Directors Guild of America Awards
| March 12, 2022
| Outstanding Directing First-Time Feature Film
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Critics' Choice Movie Awards
| rowspan="2"| March 13, 2022
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| British Academy Film Awards
| rowspan="2"|March 13, 2022
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
| Jessie Buckley
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row" | Artios Awards
| March 17, 2022
| Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Studio or Independent (Drama)
| Kahleen Crawford
|
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| Satellite Awards
| rowspan="3"| April 2, 2022
| Best Motion Picture Drama
| 'The Lost Daughter'
|
| rowspan="3"|
|-
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
| Olivia Colman
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| Academy Awards
| rowspan="3"| March 27, 2022
| Best Actress
| Olivia Colman
|
| rowspan="3"|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Jessie Buckley
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Maggie Gyllenhaal
|
|-
|}
References
Buy The Lost Daughter now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2021