LOST GIRLS: A Necessary, But Rocky Telling
Liz Garbus’ newest film Lost Girls is a hard-hitting true-crime story based on the book by Robert Kolker about the murder of Shannan Gilbert, with Michael Werwie adapting. As a very talented documentary filmmaker I was interested to see the movie that had its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The finished product proved to be conflicting. There’s an honesty (even without it being based on real events) about the disposable and careless manner that some investigations are handled, especially given these women are sex workers. The film humanizes these girls, who shouldn’t need to be in the first place. We get to see some incredible talent delivering this message, which makes it hard to make it out of this one unscathed. That being said, these positives are nearly obscured by the uneven flow of the movie.
Working mom Mari Gilbert (Amy Ryan) has three daughters Sherre (Thomasin McKenzie) Sarra (Oona Laurence) and her oldest, Shannan. She hasn’t been living at home and they’ve had a rocky relationship, but when Shannan doesn’t show for dinner and stops answering her phone, Mari knows something is wrong.
Sometimes You Have To Do It Yourself
She enlists the help of the police from different areas, but they don’t provide much in the way of assistance, including detective Richard Dormer (Gabriel Byrne). It doesn’t seem like anyone is taking her disappearance seriously. Add in strange phone calls from a suspicious “doctor” inquiring about Shannon and a consistent floundering of resources and ignoring obvious cues- Mari know she needs to do things herself, so she desperately seeks the truth.
This leads her to discover some unsavory things about her eldest and her line of work and drug use. What she also uncovers is a whole slew of young women who have gone missing.
Lost Girls, gives a spotlight- with a glaring, demanding hue- to these women who lost their lives. Ones that don’t always get the same level of respect or attention because of their lifestyle choices. It’s outraging, and thus the story feels especially electrified and tense.
She finds out her last call was to 911 adding to other suspicious activity. At times, the way things unfolded is completely maddening. While this isn’t the first, or last, time we see a real investigation being handled poorly or disregarded, it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. The movie doesn’t hide, from its opening, that this is an unsolved case (serial murders in Long Island) but you still rage with injustice alongside these women.
While the story is compelling, one of real- life horror, the performances are stellar and the need to find out what happened is all there, Lost Girls is uneven in its telling. Especially in the middle, as we wait with frustration, just as Amy Ryan’s distraught mother of a missing girl is, the movie struggles with consistency. If it was intentional, as a way of throwing us off-center as the main family in the middle is, that would be different. However, and unfortunately, I think the screenplay just didn’t do a story of this magnitude justice. It makes it hard for viewers to stick with it, but you will, because of the Gilbert women and their harrowing account.
One of the most striking things about Garbus’ film, besides the obvious haunting truth of it, is Amy Ryan’s inspired fiery performance. Her unrelenting journey is captivating. The relationships with her other daughters are also crucial to the movie, even if it isn’t explored with the same tenacity. Ryan shows us, again, that she can command a film.
Conclusion: Lost Girls
The hardships of the Gilberts don’t end with the film’s finale, and with some words in the credits, we find out even more heartbreaking information. Lost Girls is a challenging watch because it’s so emotional, but Garbus handles it with sensitivity. There’s a rockiness to the storytelling that makes you wonder how much more this film could have been. Still, it’s a grim picture that delivers a story that should be known (their stories found), and for the performances alone, there is reason to check it out.
What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Lost Girls is currently streaming on Netflix.
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