'The Lost Daughter' on Netflix... Does anyone understand it? (*Spoilers)

[NinaDefoe]

Just finished it and I haven't got a clue what just happened!

What was the point of Paul Mescall's character?
What happened to her husband?
What happened to her daughter?
Was she talking to both daughters on the phone at the end?
What was the point of the 'gangster family'?
Why did she steal the doll?
Did she die at the beach?
What was the relevance of the female hiker she kept hugging?

So many questions.
Did anyone actually understand it? I don't think I could bear to watch it again.

I think the pine cone was thrown at her. You can see it doesn't fall down from the tree in the film - it hits her on the back with the camera pointing at her, nothing fell. And it hits her hard on the back, not where something falling from the sky would hit her.

Why it happened, I don't know. She had just refused to move for the big family.

"I think she thinks the older pregnant woman is actually the biological mother of young woman's daughter"

What? You think Nina is looking after Elena on behalf of Calli, the older woman? That makes no sense. Nina doesn't enjoy motherhood. She wouldn't have taken on someone else's child, unless you think she was forced to at gunpoint or something?

@HopelesslydevotedtoGu

I think the pine cone was thrown at her. You can see it doesn't fall down from the tree in the film - it hits her on the back with the camera pointing at her, nothing fell. And it hits her hard on the back, not where something falling from the sky would hit her.

Why it happened, I don't know. She had just refused to move for the big family.

I agree!

GhostCurry
I am trying to understand her sometimes inappropriate and downright unpleasant behaviour. She behaves erratically.
You say she is just being ‘human’, I say she was deeply troubled, had MH problems of some sort or both.

@AsYouWishButtercup

I think she died too and it was a “go into the light” moment where, briefly, she was the person who she wished she could be - a doting mother, whose girls were excited when she came in the phone.

Such an excellent movie, I’m still reeling!

Yes!

This film stayed with me for days.
Olivia Colman was mesmerising as usual.
Maggie Gyllehal’s direction was excellent and reminded me of more European film styles.

I’ve just watched this and I wouldn’t say that I didn’t enjoy it, but I didn’t love it. The lack of story/plot of any kind did make it difficult to stick out to the end (it’s v long isn’t it!!). I get that it’s more about the mood and characters and about the difficulties of motherhood but I just couldn’t help but really dislike all of them which made it hard to enjoy.

Olivia Colman is great as an actress but to me her character comes across as just selfish and self-absorbed. I like a bit of balance with characters…. You know when they do things that should make you hate them but you still feel sorry for them? I didn’t get that at all with her and although i remember the stress and strains of having young children i just felt like she had no justifiable reason for treating them the way she did and just felt sorry for her poor daughters having such a terrible excuse for a mother. There’s been threads on here with adults describing being abandoned by their mothers as children and I find them so utterly heartbreaking as I cant imagine you would ever quite get over that.

Even when she is remembering the past and looking sad…. That’s as far as it goes…. I don’t feel like she truly feels guilty or has regrets but
maybe that’s the whole point of the film and why it makes such uncomfortable watching? Both her and the Nina, when they are looking stressed and fed up being jumped on by their children (okay i remember that feeling!!), what I saw were some little girls that seemed desperate for attention from their mummies who seemed more obsessed with studying/work/having affairs… so maybe that’s why they were so full on all the time! It just all made me sad and the whole movie was very oppressive/depressing. I did like all the symbolism though and thought it was clever how it did make me feel uncomfortable the whole way through! Everything seemed threatening and harmful and i liked the cinematography and the music too.

Overall though I just came away feeling like it was all quite pretentious and self absorbed…. The interactions did seem unnatural and I wasn’t keen on the intense starring…. I just don't think that’s how people interact in real life?!

Despite my ramblings I did like aspects of it although I wouldn’t watch it again… what do I know anyway… will probably win an Oscar I’m sure!! 😬

I just watched this and it was very very bland for my liking I'm afraid and a waste of time. If it weren't for Olivia Coleman's name on the film, I would have ended the film a lot sooner. I waited till the end for some sort of twist but nope. The stories lacked depth, not sure about the book as it could be a lot different but as a film, I personally think it could have been a lot better. The only part that has caught my attention is the parts with the children being clingy and suffocating the mothers which I could sympathise with but other than that, unfortunately it was quite boring.

@Roadhouse111

No she's not a great actress, I didn't get why she was so fascinated by the Leda character, she wasn't particularly interesting other than staring constantly at Nina so why did Nina gravitate towards her, I didn't get that at all.

How she felt about being a mother did resonate with me, that pull toward your children but the desire for freedom, the what ifs etc. definitely more intense when children are young and so dependent.

For those of us without a strong or dependable mother figure, there is comfort in friendship with older women. However Leida was not a good choice of friend in this context!!