Lost Girls

“It's not your daughter, Mrs. Gilbert, which is why it's important that you don't talk to the media.”

Filmology Rating: 3 out of 4

Lost Girls is another film you can watch on Netflix during your quarantine that premiered at Sundance. It was directed by Liz Garbus and is based on a true unsolved mystery.

When Mari Gilbert's (Amy Ryan) daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation. Her search brings attention to over a dozen other women's remains while searching for her daughter Shannan.

This is the first time I've heard of this story and it's one that should be shouted from rooftops. This is not the usual mystery thriller like 'Zodiac' where one clue takes the investigation deeper and deeper to find a killer. 'Lost Girls' hardly has any of that, but focuses rather on how such events impact families and friends, which is why this film feels so important. It was so important that Thomasin McKenzie dropped out of her role in the 'Top Gun' sequel to be in this film.

The last film I covered that was similar to 'Lost Girls' was another Netflix film, 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Wicked and Vile.' In retrospect, I now find a much more important problem with that film: it focuses entirely on the killer and not the victims. Too often in these cases, we tend to focus on the killer because it's more "interesting." All while victims are usually blamed or even forgotten. 'Lost Girls' really flips that narrative over and makes light of that.

The tour de force of this film is Amy Ryan who plays the mom, Mari. Her performance is so grounded and powerful. She reminded me of Frances McDormand in 'Three Billboards' -- a quite similar premise as 'Lost Girls' as well.

When it comes to this kind of material, one must tread carefully and with respect and this film does so in a way that it grounds the film almost like a documentary. By doing so, it also resists a cathartic ending because in life, not everything ends like a Hollywood movie.

Because the investigation is not the central focus of the film, a family drama becomes more of the story. As the film progresses, we learn that everyone has skeletons in their closet, but that doesn't make them bad people. Nobody is perfect and this film makes people confront that and thus brings them together.

There's also a hint of 'Onward' in this film in that one shouldn't transfix themselves on what they've lost, but should also realize what they have and how other people may not be as fortuitous as you.

By the end, it is a tear-jerker, but the film's storytelling is a little uneven. The pacing in the first act is quite vigorous and there seems to be one character who has all of the information and answers that Mari needs. It feels too convenient.

The lack of a twisting mystery may also turn some people off as they may expect something like 'Zodiac.' But 'Lost Girls' isn't about the case or the murderer, it's about the people that murder impacts and how we perceive such events as well. 'Lost Girls' has some minor storytelling issues, but it sheds light on a time that's currently dense with mini-series' or films about serial murderers or rapists. 'Lost Girls' is a short, but gut-punching and raw experience that, remember, is also true and unsolved. Highly recommend.

Rating: See It

-Nolan