The Lost Daughter: Maggie Gyllenhaal shows she can direct, too
Twenty years on from her breakthrough role in Secretary, star Maggie Gyllenhaal directs and writes her first feature. It seems like a natural progression for the actor, who has largely stuck with independent dramas and interesting blockbusters (The Dark Knight, World Trade Center).
The Lost Daughter stars Olivia Colman as Leda, an academic in her late forties who travels to the coast for a working holiday. Despite wanting to be alone, she soon finds herself entangled in the affairs of Nina (Dakota Johnson), a young woman struggling with the responsibilities of motherhood and a marriage to an older man. The acquaintance turns to obsession when Nina begins to remind Leda of her past, raising her own daughter in her twenties.
Initially the premise seems similar to a lot of small budget dramas – a pretty location, a mysterious lead, secrets that are waiting to burst out. However, a more complex story plays out thanks to the star and the director. Gyllenhaal’s script, adapted from the novel by Elena Ferrante, gives Leda layers of contradiction. Most interesting is the duality of her feelings about parenthood, disliking the crushing responsibility but loving her daughters dearly. She flirts and bonds with kindly maintenance man Lyle (Ed Harris) and young student Will (Paul Mescal), before pushing them away just as quickly.
The film never judges her for these complicated feelings, simply observing a woman who seems to have paid the price for following her own path.
That path emerges through flashback scenes, with the always excellent Jess Buckley as the younger Leda. The push-and-pull between duty and passion is interesting to watch, and makes the present journey understandable. Like many debut directors, Gyllenhaal is guilty of lingering on a moment for too long, but clearly understands when to deliver the big dramatic punches.
The lack of interesting roles for women over forty in Hollywood is a much-discussed subject, and Leda is a case study of everything that’s possible. Captivatingly broken, Colman gives her character a presence that makes her many prickly interactions all the more thrilling. Even when her past is revealed, there’s still an element of mystery to her. Johnson fits into her orbit perfectly, as Nina begins to see her new friend as a possible confidant. Of the men in the cast, Harris and Mescal ably execute minor but necessary roles, while Gyllenhaal’s partner Peter Sarsgaard is viewed in soft focus as the charming fellow academic that younger Leda falls for.
While rough around the edges, it’s rare to find a debut film as confident as The Lost Daughter. It’s another memorable performance from Colman, which may land her another Oscar; and in Gyllenhaal there is a new director who has a clear idea of the type of stories she wants to tell. I can only hope she gets to tell more in the future.