The Lost Daughter, an absorbingly shaped psychological drama that spirals out from an unexpected incident – a single traumatising event – from which the action metastasises, is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut. The Lost Daughter is an adaptation of Elena Farrante’s 2006 novel of the same name and stars Olivia Colman who delivers a rich, complex, and fascinating performance as Leda. The supporting cast features Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, and Dagmara Domińczyk.
The action takes place partly in the present during Leda’s working vacation at a beach villa, but encounters and events there trigger her remembered past. The Lost Daughter teases apart the present tense through the slow reveal of the details of Leda’s time as a young mother of two daughters and a promising academic career. The film addresses uncomfortable issues such as parenthood versus pursuing a successful career, responsibilities versus freedom – including her rather impulsive romantic choices.
The decisions she made had consequences and there are many fraught unresolved issues with which Leda grapples, some of which she may never be able to fully reconcile. Leda’s every interaction shivers with threat, desire, insecurity, and all the unresolved issues she projects onto others. Because she is so consumed with herself, she misinterprets the “unspoken” all the time.
Ferrante, by way of Leda, notes that, “The hardest things to talk about are the ones we ourselves can’t understand.” This film captures a wavering feeling about love, the sense that love isn’t always so easy, and that the irrationality that defines it is as attractive as it is noxious. Read more about the film in this Rolling Stone magazine review.
These evenings are open to all interested members of the public and clinicians. We look forward to sharing this enriching cinematic experience with you, and to continuing our stimulating film discussions.