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The Lost Daughter
This is the time of year when I try to catch as many of the ‘Best of’ films/performances before the Oscar race officially begins. One performance I have been hearing a lot of noise about recently is that of acclaimed actress Olivia Colman in ‘The Lost Daughter.’ I had heard great things about her in the past but never seen her in anything until this film. Needless to say I can see why people are giving her so many raves as she is outstanding in this! It is definitely a knock out performance that I do believe will get her an Oscar nomination.
The film is basically 100% all Colman, as she plays a professor, Leda Caruso, who is on a getaway in Greece and the focus is on her thoughts of her past and.her family, including her two daughters, in both current and flashback scenes. She pretty much has the resort to herself until a large Greek-American family settles in and takes over the beach. Leda focuses on a young mother, Nina (played by Dakota Johnson), and her daughter, who happens to go missing for a short period on the beach one afternoon. Leda finds the girl and she and Nina bond over the girl and Leda having raised daughters herself. When the little girl went missing, her doll disappeared over which she has hysterics and when Leda gets in her car one day while leaving the beach, the viewer sees that she has the doll stiffed in her bag! Why in the world would a grown woman do this?
Needless to say this film definitely gives you anxiety while watching it as Leda is definitely not your ‘typical’ mother (based on the flaskbacks shown, what she does to her own girls and by her own admission) and you cannot wait to see what happens next. She is a brilliant woman but this story does not make apologies for Leda’s behavior as a formerly married wife and mother. In fact, I am surprised that more debate has not been going on about this part of the film. Also, what an ending! This is one of those films that leaves it open for interpretation and honestly those tend to drive me crazy. But in this case, I actually think it is in the favor of the film to do it this way.
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</div><div>#cinemafiends
#fullycinematic
#thelostdaughter
#oliviacolman
#MaggieGyllenhaalfilm
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