Lost Girls (film)


Lost Girls is a 2020 American mystery drama film, 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 unidentified.
Lost Girls stars Amy Ryan as real life activist Mari Gilbert, along with Thomasin McKenzie, Lola Kirke, Oona Laurence, Dean Winters, Miriam Shor, Reed Birney, Kevin Corrigan and Gabriel Byrne. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2020, and was released on March 13, 2020, by Netflix.

Premise

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

Cast

In March 2016, it was announced Liz Garbus would direct the film, from a screenplay by Michael Werwie, based on the novel 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. In February 2017, Sarah Paulson was set to star in the film as real life activist Mari Gilbert. In May 2018, Amy Ryan replaced Paulson, and Netflix was set as distributor. In October 2018, Thomasin McKenzie, Gabriel Byrne, Oona Laurence, Lola Kirke, Miriam Shor, Reed Birney, Kevin Corrigan and Rosal Colon joined the cast.

Filming

began on October 15, 2018, in New York City.

Release

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

Critical reception

Lost Girls holds a 73% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 48 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.19/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Raw yet rewarding, Lost Girls overcomes uneven storytelling with powerful performances and a willingness to resist easy catharsis." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."