Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman is teaming up with a host of inspiring women. This is in order to bring Italian novelist Elena Ferrante‘s tale to life. And, the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhaal is taking up her seat in the director’s chair to lead the charge in this, her directorial debut. Some of the world’s most accomplished actresses will star in this film. So, there’s a lot to look forward to in this dark and gripping psychological drama.
ALSO SEE: A PS I Love You Film Sequel Is Finally In The Works
After her stint on The Crown, Olivia Colman is back in Hollywood. And we can’t wait to see the results of her latest project, an adaptation of revered Italian novelist Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter.
The film also stars, and will be directed by, Maggie Gyllenhaal, in her directorial debut. Maggie was so moved by the book that she felt compelled to set about working on an adaptation straight away.
Who stars in The Lost Daughter alongside Olivia Colman?
Olivia Colman joins a host of famous faces for the film. These include Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose, Judy), Dakota Johnson (Bad Times at the El Royale), and Peter Sarsgaard (Garden State, The Magnificent Seven).
Is ‘The Lost Daughter’ Olivia Colman?
It’s unclear from the plot exactly who the title refers to. But the plot centres around two women and their experiences of motherhood. Leda, played by Olivia Colman, is a professor staying near the ocean. She, by a chance encounter, becomes transfixed by a young woman she sees playing on the beach with her daughter. This young woman’s name is Nina and will be played by Dakota Johnson. Leda’s intrigue into Nina’s life turns into obsession. And also makes her confront her own family history and past trauma.
What does Maggie say?
“When I finished reading Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter, I felt that something secret and true had been said out loud. And I was both disturbed and comforted by that. I immediately thought how much more intense the experience would be in a movie theatre, with other people around.” This she said in a statement about the film.
“And I set to work on this adaptation. I find that the script has attracted other people interested in exploring these secret truths about motherhood, sexuality, femininity, desire. And I’m thrilled to continue my collaboration with such brave and exciting actors and filmmakers.”
Maggie is clearly very excited about the project…
ALSO SEE: The Latest Jojo Moyes Film Adaptation You Need To See
What can we expect from the film?
Amazon described the story as “a complex, controlled and piercing meditation on motherhood and womanhood.” And the emotional storyline follows two women and their struggles. Back in 2018, Elena wrote an open letter to Maggie in a Guardian column. She gave her creative license to pursue her interpretation of the film.
ALSO SEE: Book To Film: The Adaptations We Can’t Wait To See
Elena Ferrante wrote, ‘It’s important for me – for her, for all women – that her work be hers and turn out well.’ ‘Mine already exists, with its strengths and defects.
‘In the great warehouse of the arts, set up mainly by men, women have for a relatively short time been seeking the means and opportunities to give a form of their own to what they have learned from life. So I don’t want to say: you have to stay inside the cage that I constructed.’
When will The Lost Daughter hit screens in SA?
The Lost Daughter is currently in pre-production, so a date hasn’t been set yet.
Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
