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★★★★
Directed by: Peter Stylianou
Written by: Peter Stylianou
Starring: Kris Johnson, David Partridge, Terri Dwyer, Farah Ahmed, Dana Rogoz, Rebecca Calienda
A child vanishes from her home one night, during a birthday party. Did someone kidnap her? Did she ran away?
The disappearance of Olivia Truman makes the headlines everywhere and detectives Holloway (Johnson) and Costa (Ahmed) are investigating the case. Their findings lead them to believe that the two most possible scenarios are that Olivia's parents were responsible or the Romanian housekeeper Mariam (Rogoz) had something to do with it. Meanwhile, Holloway keeps receiving threatening texts on his phone, ordering him to walk away from the case. Tensions rise as the investigation gets deeper and deeper.
This dramatic mystery thriller has one twist after the other, as the two detectives try to get to the truth. The mood is rather dark, with the plot focusing on crimes against children such as child abduction, child abuse and child trafficking.
The narrative is nonlinear and keeps cutting back and forth in time, often going back to the night in question and showing events that may or may have not actually taken place, as each interviewed individual gives their own version of events.
Johnson has the most interesting role. He portrays a man determined to solve the case with the main intention of getting a promotion. He is rude, selfish, inconsiderate and disrespectful. He aggressively questions people and mocks them. Ironically, although he is looking for a missing child, he ignores his own daughter and his wife. As a result, though he is working towards a noble target, it is hard to sympathize with him.
Partridge and Dwyer are the wealthy couple and parents to the missing girl. They appear to be torn apart but there could be more to them than meets the eye. Rogoz is the domestic worker, who claims that the parents organized their daughter's abduction for money. Is she telling the truth?
Right from the start, the film grabs the viewer's attention, opening with the discovery that Olivia has gone missing. As the story progresses, the suspense increases as the police hear the account of each suspect, including Liz, Claire's troubled sister and attempt to find out who the culprit is.
The Lost is a gloomy thriller that addresses very serious issues. With good acting, an atmospheric score and an intriguing plot, it is well worth viewing.
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