Oh fuck. I need two hours back. Olivia could play a cucumber, but the story has no point. The trailer shows us one thing and we get a whole different movie. The weird family, the flashbacks, the story is there, but it was so poorly edited/written.

What a very long winded way of saying "sometimes people aren't the idyllic norms that society has deemed of certain roles". I think the problem with something like this is that once the message has been telegraphed, there's not much to build on from that. Yes, Leda does not revel in the wonders of motherhood, and even hates certain aspects of it, but what does that say about her as a person? The movie seems daring enough to ask the question, but not follow through with any kind of character building or resolution for this societally controversial stance. There are some nice turns of metaphor, mainly the fruit and the doll being "nice" on the outside but rotten to the core, which plays right into how Leda sees herself, and how the family on the beach have something sinister under the "perfect" exterior. These metaphors aren't enough to elevate the absolute slog that his movie becomes after the first hour. Colman and Buckley really carry this movie, but the performances are hindered by the very limited scope of the script and screenplay. I also found some of the camera work, editing and scene compositions a little basic and clumsy, especially considering they had the beauty of the Greek coast to work with. Watching this straight after Red Rocket, which shows you can portray off-piste characters with a level of empathy and truth, really was the worst case scenario for The Lost Daughter. I feel it has so much to say, but is too scared to say it and follow through with the consequence. Then again, I am a single male in the dying days of his 20's, so maybe I just didn't get the nuance on show here because I can never experience what these people are going through. Poor showing, I'd probably only recommend this if you must watch all the movies up for award contention this year.

I wanted to love it but I agree with others that the writing and editing/pacing did not work for me. Stellar performances from a powerhouse cast weren't enough to make me give a shit about whatever the story was trying to say. I like slow burns, I like character pieces, I like messy people, but somehow all of these elements never gelled together for me in this film.

As a childless male I am unqualified to comment directly on the subject matter, but here are some high-level general thoughts: - Phenomenal first feature from Maggie Gyllenhaal and I hope she continues to make whatever she wishes - I actually **loved** the editing and writing here and thought it was top notch and would not be surprised if this landed an editing nomination - Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman are so insanely talented it is scary - I feel this is a fairly honest depiction of the struggle to balance work, life, handling the (perceived) lions share of parental responsibility, personal happiness that may not be defined by being a parent, and a sobering reality that just because you have 2 adorable children does not equate to perceived happiness in the moment - Not everyone knows what they're doing from the jump and it takes years along with some some hard truths and brutal failures to figure your shit out. And when you think you have it under control, you still may see that you don't

Maggie Gyllenhall's debut film, features Olivia Colman in yet another exceptional work. The movie delivers a complexity by addressing the feminine and women's guilt for the choices between personal life and motherhood.