The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal, 2021) (Patreon)

Maybe it's because I've been watching Yellowjackets recently, but I am getting tired of movies and shows whose structure is dominated by dual timelines. Granted, there have been flashbacks practically since narrative cinema began, but this is something a bit different. I recall at the time that viewers and critics of Lost were sort of amazed by this approach, so maybe that kicked off the current fad. Or if we want to assume that technology helps define the use of the medium(s), it could well be that movies have followed television's lead in this regard. Lost predates the streaming era, but it did coincide with the wide availability of DVRs. So it's possible that these faux-complex forms were deemed suitable for mass entertainment only where confused viewers could back up and rewatch what they might've missed.

In any case, I try to remember that this approach is just a neutral storytelling form now, not a kind of watered-down Resnais -- what architects are calling "soft modernism." The Lost Daughter most likely feels a bit less clunky on the written page, given Elena Ferrante's high reputation. (I have the book around here somewhere but haven't unpacked it yet.) Although Gyllenhaal manages the two story lines fairly well, their organization is a bit uneven here, since by the middle of the film, the flashbacks are longer than some of the present-day passages. This would not be an issue, but Gyllenhaal always takes care to frame the past with shots of a distracted or pensive Leda (Olivia Colman), to remind viewers that she is actively remembering. This, along with the overt use of doubling and parallelism, makes The Lost Daughter far more literary than it is cinematic. So I guess what I'm saying is, I think we're looking at a new kind of Tradition of Quality, a pedigreed prestige cinema that never forgets we're mostly watching it like TV.

Colman is great, by the way. Personally I think it's time for Kristen Stewart to get an Oscar, but if Colman nabbed it I would be fine. [/punditry]