‘The Lost Daughter’: Maggie Gyllenhaal Said Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Terrible Eyesight’ Changed the Whole Process With Incredible Results
The Lost Daughter is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feature directorial debut. The world premiere was at the Venice International Film Festival, where the film opened to rave reviews. Critics and audiences praised Gyllenhaal’s directorial and screenwriting efforts. However, she recently revealed that her brother, Jake Gyllenhaal‘s terrible eyesight helped The Lost Daughter in the sound process.
‘The Lost Daughter’ story
Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) is a mother and college professor on a summer holiday. She enjoys peace and silence until another group of people disrupts it. Leda becomes infatuated with a young mother named Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter. Her memories of her own early motherhood come flooding back, as her world begins to unravel. The story is based on Elena Ferrante’s novel by the same name.
The Lost Daughter features an impressive cast with Colman leading the charge. Her co-stars include Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Ed Harris, Jesse Buckley, and Paul Mescal. The film earned a four-minute standing ovation at its world premiere. The Lost Daughter‘s performances earned universal acclaim.
Maggie Gyllenhaal said Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘terrible eyesight’ changed the sound process
Elle interviewed Gyllenhaal to talk about The Lost Daughter. She explained her inspirations stepping behind the camera for her first feature-length film. Additionally, Gyllenhaal talked about her brother and fellow actor, Jake. She said that he helped her through the process of starting sound on The Lost Daughter.
“I don’t know if you know this about him, but he’s got really terrible eyesight, he wears contact lenses, but it’s really bad,” Gyllenhaal said. “Having lived like that has made him really tune in to sound and when I showed him my first cut he had the notes… It changed the way I thought about starting out on that [sound] process… Jake really opened that door to me.”
Gyllenhaal explained how Jake isn’t her toughest critic, but that they are huge supporters of each other’s works.
“I wouldn’t say that he’s a tough critic,” Gyllenhaal said. “Like the handful of people who I look to as mirrors for my work, he’s full of love, as a critic, which is one of the reasons why I sometimes ask for his thoughts.”
‘The Lost Daughter’ will be streaming on Netflix
The Lost Daughter had a big night at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, where it nearly won every award it was nominated for. It won Best Feature, Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award, Best Screenplay, and Outstanding Lead Performance. However, Buckley didn’t quite manage to score the win for Outstanding Supporting Performance.
The Lost Daughter is opening with a limited release in theaters starting on Dec. 17. However, Gyllenhaal’s feature directorial debut will move to Netflix streaming starting on Dec. 31. Audiences will have the opportunity to experience the movie how they feel most comfortable, whether that’s in a dark movie theater or in the comfort of their own homes.
