Lost Girls (film)

Last updated
Lost Girls
Lost Girls poster.jpeg
Official poster
Directed by Liz Garbus
Written byMichael Werwie
Based onLost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery
by Robert Kolker
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyIgor Martinovic
Edited byCamilla Toniolo
Music byAnne Nikitin
Production
companies
  • Archer Gray
  • Langley Park Productions
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)(Sundance)
  • March 13, 2020 (2020-03-13)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Lost Girls is a 2020 American mystery drama film. Lost Girls was directed by Liz Garbus, from a screenplay by Michael Werwie, and based on the book Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker. The film revolves around the murders of young female sex workers on the South Shore barrier islands of Long Island, committed by the Long Island serial killer, who remains unknown, but for which a suspect was charged July 14, 2023.

Contents

Lost Girls stars Amy Ryan as the real life activist Mari Gilbert, along with Thomasin McKenzie, Lola Kirke, Oona Laurence, Dean Winters, Miriam Shor, Reed Birney, Kevin Corrigan, and Gabriel Byrne. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2020, and was later released on March 13, 2020, by Netflix.

Premise

Mari Gilbert relentlessly drives law enforcement agents to search for her missing daughter, Shannan, and, in the process, sheds light on a wave of unsolved murders of young sex workers on the South Shore barrier islands of Long Island, committed by the Long Island serial killer. [2]

Cast

Production

In March 2016, it was announced that Liz Garbus would direct the film, from a screenplay by Michael Werwie, based on the book of the same name by Robert Kolker. Kevin McCormack, David Kennedy, Rory Koslow, Amy Nauiokas, and Anne Carey served as producers on the film, while Pamela Hirsch executive produced. Amazon Studios was initially set to distribute. [4] In February 2017, Sarah Paulson was set to star in the film as real-life activist Mari Gilbert. [5] In May 2018, Amy Ryan replaced Paulson, and Netflix was set as the distributor. [6] In October 2018, Thomasin McKenzie (who dropped out of Top Gun: Maverick to work on the film), Gabriel Byrne, Oona Laurence, Lola Kirke, Miriam Shor, Reed Birney, Kevin Corrigan, and Rosal Colon joined the cast. [7] [8]

Filming

Principal photography began on October 15, 2018, in New York City. [9]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2020, [10] and was released on March 13, 2020, by Netflix. [11]

Critical reception

Lost Girls holds a 72% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 54 reviews, with an average of 6.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Raw yet rewarding, Lost Girls overcomes uneven storytelling with powerful performances and a willingness to resist easy catharsis." [12] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [13]

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References

  1. "Lost Girls". Sundance Film Festival . Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  2. "'Lost Girls' and the Gilgo Beach Serial Killings. What to Know About the Movie". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  3. "Lost Girls". IMDb . 13 March 2020.
  4. Siegel, Tatiana (March 9, 2016). "Liz Garbus in Talks to Direct Serial Killer Film 'Lost Girls' for Amazon (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  5. Ford, Rebecca; Kit, Borys (February 3, 2017). "Sarah Paulson to Star in Serial-Killer Film 'Lost Girls' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  6. Kit, Borys (May 16, 2018). "Amy Ryan Replaces Sarah Paulson as 'Lost Girls' Moves From Amazon to Netflix (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  7. N’Duka, Amanda (October 26, 2018). "Lost Girls': Gabriel Byrne, Lola Kirke, Miriam Shor & More Round Out Cast Of Netflix Crime Feature". Deadline Hollywood .
  8. Netflix's 'Lost Girls' Adds Thomasin McKenzie, Lola Kirke and Dean Winters
  9. "Lost Girls". Production List. 15 October 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  10. Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. Russian, Ale (January 16, 2020). "Amy Ryan Plays a Mother Fighting for Answers in Gripping Trailer for Netflix's Lost Girls". People . Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  12. "Lost Girls". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  13. "Lost Girls Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved March 14, 2020.