REVIEW: THE LOST DAUGHTER

4/5

The Mother. 

121 Mins. Starring: Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Domińczyk, Jack Farthing, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Peter Sarsgaard & Ed Harris. Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal. 

Peel back the layers like an orange and you'll find more than 'The Lost Daughter' in Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, as the plot snakes before she let's it all break. Auteur amazing in the aesthetic of her first feature film, Gyllenhaal takes this passion project and labor of love into a letter to her own motherhood. Changing the final sentences of Italian author Elena Ferrante's 2006 novel of the same name, Maggie serves as screenwriter too. And it's thanks to a personal handmade letter to Elena that Gyllenhaal even got the permission slip for this gig. Ferrante had one condition for this production, that Maggie directed too. The reclusive, pseudonym scribe letting go of her previously prescribed idea to never have her works adapted in English. Until she came across this director. One who has an "energy of intelligence" in Elena's words that could break out "the male cage" that they've been "inside for too long". Far too long. Whilst her brother Jake is making his best acting movies and also setting off Spider-Man multiverses in all their madness 'Far From Home' as the comic adapted former actor (not on the screen version) who uses special effects to play pretend like he's a superhero named Mysterio, 'The Dark Knight' star who was Oscar nominated for her 'Crazy Heart' and has stole the small screen like what 'The Deuce' slips into the directors chair with the ease of the 'Secretary'. What results for the Academy of voters is not only one of the falls Netflix best (after the powerful 'Passing' of Rebecca Hall, Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga in traditional, timeless, 20's black and white, 'The Power Of The Dog' for Benedict Cumberbatch's greatest fall since he tripped over his cape on the set of 'Doctor Strange' (at this point, we're assuming that happened once or twice) and Adam McKay's comet climate crisis concerning our current coronavirus planet pandemic with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep, 'Don't Look Up'), but one of the greatest pictures of 2021 too. 

Mothering this movie, star of 'The Father' (who's excited for 'The Son' sequel?) Olivia Colman steps it up again in a movie of similar stage set narrative mystery. Everybody's Oscar 'Favourite' Queen is up for 'The Crown' again on Netflix. And this time she doesn't need a single jewel. But oh how she goes up against an even greater adversary than Gillian Anderson's game changing Iron Lady of Margaret Thatcher...herself. Needless to say forget Netflix and the calendar that's just turned 22 like Taylor Swift feeling it. This is one of the outstanding Olivia's best too. Classic Colman for the Oscar, Bafta and Emmy winner. A Boston college professor vacationing in picturesque Greece that hides more behind the canvas of its perfect portrait like what lies beneath the bottom of a bowl of "fresh" fruit. Your holidays are often the journey and who you take it with...not the destination. Even in solitary company, your demons might be applying the sun tan lotion in the shadows. And that's before we get to what looks like the cast of 'Jersey Shore' moving in and pissing all over (not literally...but you wouldn't be surprised) her beachside territiory as 'there goes the neighbourhood' becomes 'there goes my beach spot', although a resilient Brit like Olivia refuses to pack-up her deck chair and move. It's a blisteringly brilliant moment, in a movie choked full of them. It's just another subtle, but beautiful (just wait) scene that is rhyme to the reason why Colman is absolutely terrific in this Greek tragedy. Whether she's letting the tears fall as freely as new 'Macbeth' Denzel amongst the waves, or being the only one who could come close to the real and raw acting of Frances McDormand in Chloé Zhao's 'Nomadland'. Eternally, there is no one quite like her on Maggie's sandy farm of humans burning each other like the rays. 

A doll house of drama. A missing child becomes a milk carton poster for a much bigger prize when it comes to this picture and reason why, which we won't spoil. This is when the hairpin tension between our lead and a never better Dakota Johnson (and she's been at her best for more than most can attest) triggers after a beautiful, sun hat delicate, mothering moment of putting one's hair up to make things easier. Dakota delivers the wounded beauty of her character with piercing conviction. The 'Fifty Shades' and 'Bad Times At The El Royale' guest is simply the best, Tina. A bruised soul hidden behind gaudy jewellery, a designer swimsuit and topped up tan. 'Normal People' Will Mescal plays an assistant at the resort who has an interesting dinner date with Colman's character. As intriguing as it is charming. Whilst scene stealing 'Succession' star Dagmara Domińczyk simmers with the same boiling point tension throughout that she does in her first incendiary scene with Olivia. Shielding herself from the morning sun and what's to come. Jack Farthing comes off rivalling Josh O'Connor's Charles 'Crown' in Kristen Stewart's 'Spencer' to play a lost husband from another time, breaking at the seams of memory. And 'Dracula' star and 'The Invisible Man' himself (now you see him...no I don't. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist) Oliver Jackson-Cohen oozes menace as a monster as clear as the sunny day, even if he is "playing" nice. But for all the big names here in Gyllenhaal's lonely gallery of rogues, as she let's all these characters true thoughts speak out in voice over. From Maggie's real life husband Peter Sarsgaard (who always gives everything to everything he's in...which at one point felt like everything) convincing like script written gospel as a literary legend, to a real legend in Ed Harris kindly-but maybe trying a little too hard-caretaker (check out how affecting the former war veteran actor is in Netflix's 'Kodachrome' with an even better than 'Ted Lasso' advertised Jason Sudeikis). It's 'Wild Rose' Jessie Buckley who comes back from Netflix's maddening and mesmerising 'I'm Thinking Of Ending Things' to go back in time here as the lost mother that Olivia once was. Buckley and Colman combining to form and flesh out one truly human character who experiences every conflicted emotion in its realest form in this made up world of filtered profiles and bios that are anything but warts-and-all. It's as refreshing as it is raw. As picking this orange we know all fruits aren't perfect. We all have our bruises. And as this forbidden one snakes around us, peeling away at all our layers and social second skins, it's important we don't feel the bite and get lost. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Further Filming: 'Blue Jasmine', 'Disobedience', 'The Father'.