“The Lost Daughter”: Complexities of Motherhood in Hollywood

Motherhood is more complicated than what we were taught since childhood, but at the same time it is one of the most beautiful responsibilities of all. Motherhood has several faces and, over time, cinema has been responsible for representing them in the best possible way. “The Lost Daughter” is one of the most recent examples of this theme and its history has left much to interpretation, to the point of becoming one of the most acclaimed films of the year.

Good mothers, bad mothers and regular mothers is what is usually seen on the big screen, but “The Lost Daughter” walks a line where being a good mother finds a new meaning, whether it is with an action, gesture or reaction that not everyone is able to perceive at first instance. “I am an unnatural mother,” says Leda, the film’s main character, at a crucial moment in the plot and which, in turn, makes us understand that the word “mother” does not define her because she is much more than that.

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s debut film manages to portray the look of a brilliant woman on a professional level, but who also has a fragile mental health. Her story begins when she decides to take a vacation on a Greek island, where she will later relive various traumas linked to her own motherhood when she meets Nina, a young mother, and her daughter. Between memories of the past and experiences of the present, we will witness a cocktail of moments that will show the archetype of the sacrificed mother.

It is, therefore, an enigmatic, audacious, subtle and intelligent film, and which, in turn, knows how to be raw and brutal when necessary. On the one hand, it shows us the profile of Leda, who is characterized -among many- by her resistance to taking care of her daughters when she was young and the guilt derived from not doing so in the present. And on the other to Nina, full of desperation, questions, fatigue and frustration about motherhood and the role she must play as a woman.

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Motherhood represented in Hollywood

When mothers are represented in the cinema with all their nuances, eccentricities and individualities, are among the most captivating characters in the plot. From divorced mothers who deal with problems alone, going through those who have different concepts about motherhood, to the valuable actions of adoptive figures, here we make a small analysis of three other films on this subject that you cannot miss.

Parallel Mothers

The new melodrama by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar could compete for an Oscar this year. The masterful performance of Penélope Cruz combines in a great way with what was done by Milena Smit, giving us a story where tenderness seasons a mature film production that is capable of moving and moving everyone who sees it.

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On this occasion we will meet Janis (Cruz) and Ana (Smit), two single mothers who meet in a hospital and who must learn the fear and pain that loneliness means while pregnant. They both want to give birth, but it is the character of Penelope who emanates a gigantic power with amazing dialogues about being a mother. Without a doubt, an ode to motherhood by Almodóvar.

Lion

Based on a true story. The film is about a five-year-old boy who got lost in a train station in India and all the journey he had to make to return home years later, it was one of the most emotional dramas that 2016 left us thanks to the director Garth Davis and performances by Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel.

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Although the plot revolves around the young man, the background context shows us the valuable role that parents play, whether they are by blood or adoptive. Nicole Kidman plays an Australian woman who adopts Saroo when he arrives at an orphanage, taking him home to raise him with all the love in the world. That feeling drives the protagonist, years later, to embark on a journey to reunite with his biological mother, who receives him with the usual tenderness in a tremendous ending.

Boyhood

Why is this film one of the most ambitious and greatest of the 21st century? The answer is because its director, Richard Linklater, took 12 years to film it. But it was not because of setbacks, but because he chose to use the same actor to reflect the childhood and adolescence of Mason, the protagonist. This unique journey full of experiences makes us reflect on the passage of time, family life and the search for identity.

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In fact, there are several topics that are touched on there, among which motherhood, responsibility and loneliness stand out. At this point Olivia, Mason’s mother, perfectly fulfills the role of being a mother. Raising her children alone against all odds, dealing with economic and personal problems, and with the hope of resuming her university studies, shows us that although not everything has a solution, the important thing is to keep fighting.