When Wikipedia Comes In Handy

 

Let me get this out of the way right from the start.   I'm not a fan of Olivia Colman.  I find her acting very stilted and pretentious.    The "look at me, I'm acting" type.  I actually stopped watching "The Crown" when she took over the role of Queen Elizabeth.   I absolutely hated that movie "The Favorite" she won the Oscar for.  

As far as Len goes, Colman can do no right.  And she can be assured that her streak is still intact with her latest film "The Lost Daughter" now available in theaters, Netflix, and a few garbage cans.

What made me give it a whirl?   Well, the trailer seemed intriguing.   A lonely woman on a beach during a holiday on a Greek island.   I should know better. Trailers that look interesting rarely are.   I was also lured by the fact that this comes from director/film maker Maggie Gyllenhaal.   The loose sense of connection there?   A friend of mine once taught her.

That's my flimsy rationale.   But, then again, this is a flimsy movie.  We follow this lady on holiday and she keeps drifting off into flashbacks of her days as a wife and mother.  Where are they now?  Who knows?   Gyllenhaal does her best to keep stuff hidden from the audience to the point of utter frustration.   

Then the character steals the doll of a little girl on the beach.   Why?  Who knows?   It might have something to do with the flashbacks.  Or perhaps not. This is one of those rare movies that had me accessing Wikipedia when it was over so I could read about what I just saw.  And I still don't get it.

Oh, and yes, I still don't like Olivia Colman.

LEN'S RATING:  One-half star.

Dinner last night:  BLT at Cafe 50s.