Maggie Gyllenhaal, an actress that I really like, now joins the respectable gallery of actors who pass on the other side of the camera and become directors. I am even happier to see that her debut film, both as a director and as a screenwriter, the 2021 ‘The Last Daughter‘ is a more than satisfying achievement. Adapting a novel by Elena Ferrante in a fairly free manner, Maggie Gyllenhaal brings in this film much of what we expect from actors who decide to become directors: an inside knowledge of the profession of filmmaker, an empathic and professional way of to choose and direct the actors, and an original and fresh vision. These are, after all, beginners in directing, but beginners who have years and sometimes decades of film experience. When the best aspects of the two facets of their personalities meet, the result can be very good, and ‘The Lost Daughter‘ proves it. In addition, Maggie Gyllenhaal does not copy any of the excellent directors she has worked with as an actress and does not adopt their styles, proving in this film that she has a distinct artistic personality as a director and she also has a lot to say. If I’m to compare her to anyone, the director who comes to mind as a ‘soulmate’ is Sofia Coppola (who also was an actress before she became a director) due to the sincere and heartfelt exposure on screen of women’s issues.
Leda Caruso, the main heroine of the film, is an American academic who spends her vacation on a Greek island. It could be a dream vacation if peace was not disturbed from day one by the appearance of a noisy and large Greek-American family. Among them there is a young mother of a little girl, who has visible problems in marriage, in finding time for her daughter and living her life as a young woman. The problems are not foreign to Leda, who begins to be overwhelmed by the memories of her own motherhood experience, 20 years ago, in which she had faced similar problems with her two daughters, with difficult decisions about splitting her time between motherhood, trying to lead a active professional life and a personal life of her own. As Leda gets closer to her family on vacation, she feels the effects of the decisions she made 20 years ago and tries to influence her new friend not to repeat her mistakes. Good intentions, however, are sometimes paving of hell.
Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s filming style is very interesting. The director uses a lot of close-ups. Maybe half of the frames have the characters close-ups in the center of the image. Of course, this is very demanding from the actors, but the director had the chance (or the skills) to build an excellent team. The main role, of Leda at the age of 48, is played by Olivia Colman. Directors who are also actors sometimes create on screen alter-egos of themselves, characters in which they direct their actors as if they were playing their roles. Woody Allen is a famous example. Maggie Gyllenhaal seems to be doing something similar here. The portrait of Leda as a young mother, 20 years ago, built by Jessie Buckley in short sequences, sometimes for a few seconds, is outstanding. We must remember that this is a subjective perspective, in fact it’s the way the mature Leda remembers the young Leda, her feelings, her experiences and her motherly mistakes. Ed Harris, another actor I lover, also appears in a supporting role. The rewritten version of the plot in the novel leaves some key elements to the appreciation of the spectators and that’s a smart choice. Life has its mysteries and not all episodes need to be elucidated to the end. Being a mother is one of the most challenging moments in a woman’s life, finding the balance between maternal dedication and her own life is sometimes mission impossible. The only ones who might have the right to judge are the children. Spectators are invited to enter the intimacy of the characters, to watch their lives, and to draw their own conclusions. ‘The Lost Daughter‘ is a beautiful and feminine film, which gives a feeling of authenticity and involvement.