While on holiday in Greece, middle-aged university professor, and noted translator Leda Caruso meets Nina, a young mother, after Nina’s three-year-old daughter Elena goes missing on the beach. Leda finds Elena and returns her to Nina, who expresses her growing exhaustion and unhappiness. The story turns odd when Leda impulsively steals Elena’s doll, and things get weirder.
In this earlier post, I mentioned loving and simultaneously being puzzled by The Lost Daughter. I didn’t know much about the story when I started. And the cinematography and lighting gave it a creepy vibe (which I appreciate looking back).
For a long time, I couldn’t figure out the genre of this movie. Was there going to be a murder? Was the doll possessed? What exactly is going on here? I think watching the movie without having any idea about the story was a fantastic experience.
But once the movie ended, I scratched my head in puzzlement. I knew I had to read the book to fill in some blanks.
Thankfully, Elena Ferrante’s book throws some light on Leda’s impulses. The book is written in first person, and much of it is an inner monologue, which somewhat explains Leda’s actions.
However, not everything is explained away. This is not a story that neatly ties up all loose ends.
The hardest things to talk about are the ones we ourselves can’t understand.
But it is precisely this unexplained element that I loved – both in the book and the movie. The movie is, by and large true to the book. The only changes they have made are to accommodate Olivia Colman as an actor – which is fine because she’s brilliant in the role.
The cinematography, the slow unwind, the fabulous supporting actors, and everything about the movie is excellent. Be prepared, though; it is slow. It also expects you to pay attention and read between the lines. The book is more straightforward – very simple and easy to read. It’s a novella (about 150 pages), and I could get through it in one go while waiting for a looong time at a doctor’s appointment. If you need to do only one, I’d suggest the movie because it’s a bit more suspenseful and challenging than the book.
Summary: Read the book and watch the movie. Both are fantastic!
