'Lost Girls Review': A unique take on America's infamous Long Island Serial Killer

Lost Girls has finally made its debut on Netflix on March 13, 2020. The biographical drama mystery film is based on the novel of the same name, written by Robert Kolker. The story of Lost Girls is based on the very real Long Island Serial Killer, however, both the book and the film deal more with the victim's families and the indifferent attitude of the police, rather than the mystery of the serial killer itself. As of now, the reviews for Lost Girls is mostly positive, with critics praising the plot, acting and the tasteful manner in which the film portrayed the family's grief.

Here is what critics have to say about Netflix's Lost Girls

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The story of Lost Girls is based on the very real and tragic murder of Shannan, a woman who was allegedly killed by the Long Island Serial Killer. Both the book and the Netflix adaptation focus on Mari Gilbert, the mother of Shannan, who is hell-bent on finding out what really happened to her daughter. The film begins with Shannan's mysterious disappearance, followed by Mari's frantic search for her daughter. 

The movie also details how the police were rather negligent during the investigation and how they stopped following up on the case once they found out that Shannan was a Craigslist sex worker. Lost Girls perfectly portrays a mother's dedication as she singlehandedly keeps the case alive by pinning up missing posters all over town and constantly looks for her daughter. A few months later, a dog randomly finds four cadavers of murdered women in the same location where Shannan went missing. 

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According to critics, the film does a wonderful job at tastefully portraying the grief of the victims' families. The discovery of the four bodies starts a search for the mysterious Long Island Serial Killer that is still ongoing to this day. Unfortunately, Shannan is not one of the four discovered corpses, and Mari Gilbert's desperate search for her daughter continues.

Lost Girls is not really about justice or the hunt for the killer, but it is rather about the families and how they deal with this tragedy. While critics appreciated the very human portrayal of the grieving families, it does not do a great job at establishing the victims as their own individual characters. The movie barely shares any details about the victims, other than the fact that they were all sex workers. Even Shannan, who is one of the central victims of the story, does not get much screen time and the audiences barely learn anything new about her. 

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Despite the fact that the movie does not focus on the killer themselves, it does share some details about the potential suspects and the ongoing police investigation. According to critics, the acting in the film is also stellar. Amy Ryan as Mari Gilbert especially stand out with her powerful, emotionally driven performance. Thomasin McKenzie and Gabriel Byrne also have a strong on-screen presence and do a wonderful job at essaying their characters.

However, despite its great acting and story potential, many critics found the film to be more suited as a TV feature rather than a film. Moreover, Lost Girls is the first scripted film to be helmed by Liz Garbus, who is most known for being a documentary film director and producer. Despite its flaws when it comes to the filming quality, Lost Girls has still received mostly favourable reviews thanks to its brilliant source material and its unique take on the story of the Long Island Serial Killer, who is still one of America's most wanted and infamous killers. 

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