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Rating: The Lost Daughter - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elena Ferrante and the Demons of Motherhood
"Hospitality comes from gaining someone's attention, even in crisis. As Simone Weil says:
"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.""
Maggie Gyllenhaal: the directorial debut of the Secretary actress
With a captivating setting and a clever alternation of time layers between present, flashbacks, and short flashforwards, Maggie Gyllenhaal debuts behind the camera; adapting the eponymous novella (about 150 pages) by Elena Ferrante and staging this sort of unusual dramatic thriller. Which reveals the arc of an unnatural mother, a profoundly selfish woman, but perhaps simply never matured and never victorious in the struggle with her own demons. Like that of depression. And so, the appropriation she makes of the doll (the "lost daughter" of the international title) becomes the crucial and psychological node of the entire story.
Bringing up unresolved issues, problems, and traumas. The doll becomes almost a relic of something lost, the typical innocence of childhood, the symbol of the trauma of motherhood.
ELENA FERRANTE: A WORLDWIDE LITERARY PHENOMENON
Elena Ferrante - whoever he or she may be - is probably the most famous name in contemporary Italian literature worldwide. Especially after the global success of the saga My Brilliant Friend, from which the famous Rai TV series was adapted. In cinema, this is the third film adapted from one of her works so far (the first was Frantumaglia by Mario Martone, back in 1994), but the first international one; and this is undoubtedly an aspect of interest.
Concerning the enigmatic figure of Ferrante, many have been wondering for years why she has enjoyed such worldwide success. It might be, as Lenny Belardo said in The Young Pope, "absence is presence". And thus, the mystery that has always surrounded this faceless figure has contributed to her books' success and marketing.
ELENA FERRANTE IN AMERICA
And speaking precisely of this great global literary phenomenon, it's interesting to read an excerpt from an interview with Ferrante's American translator, Ann Goldstein, curated by Katrina Dodson:
"You said you don't know Elena Ferrante's true identity. But obviously, you have an idea of what type she might be. For example, you said you never doubted she was a woman and assume she belongs to your generation. What have you discovered about her through her writing, which is always personal even when not strictly autobiographical?"
"I've understood, from all these books and interviews contained in Frantumaglia, that she's an extremely cultured person. There's nothing she hasn't read, I believe."
"And recently she also wrote a preface to Sense and Sensibility. It was a shock to find out."
"Yes, that's why I say she's read everything. She's talked about Jane Austen in the Paris Review. So yes, she has read a lot. It's evident that she's a person of extraordinary intelligence. She possesses a remarkable literary knowledge background, supported by an important education, but she doesn't tend to impose it. It's not obvious, you don't get the feeling she's trying to show off what she's read."
A MIRROR GAME BETWEEN PRESENT AND PAST
Returning to the film. Gyllenhaal's style, in a mirror game between past and present, explores the protagonist's face through a recurring use of close-ups, delving into the emotions of a character who is never likable or positive, yet one ultimately empathizes with. Thanks, of course, to Olivia Colman's yet another masterly and perfect performance. One of the greatest actresses around.
Independent project and shot on a budget, the setting of The Lost Daughter had to be altered due to the pandemic. It's a very interesting work that showcases cinematic ideas. Ideas that could be developed with more means and awareness perhaps in the future if Gyllenhaal wants to continue in the path of directing. Not that the film doesn't already showcase a certain maturity.
There were three Oscar nominations without wins: for Colman as Best Actress and Jessie Buckley as Supporting Actress, even in the same role as a young Colman in the flashbacks; and for the non-original screenplay, which was awarded at Venice.
THE LOST DAUGHTER: FROM THE NOVEL TO THE FILM AND THE LOVE FOR THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Regarding the screenplay and adaptation, the film is substantially faithful to the plot of the original text, albeit making some small but significant variations. Like changing the nationality of the characters, naturally given the international nature of the project. Despite choosing to retain the original Italian names (which is perhaps a questionable choice, in hindsight). Ferrante's Leda Caruso was a teacher of English studies, while her film counterpart is of comparative Italian literature. The film indeed features very beautiful tributes to the Italian language, which inevitably get lost in translation.
CHANGE MY NAME
A small film that's fascinating and leaves a final feeling of redemption and possible return to life. Even with the awareness that certain existential specters are destined never to leave.
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