Peter Pan may continue to be a whimsical symbol, but there is a dark side to never growing. In her latest film, The Lost Girls, based on the novel of the same name by Laurie Foxx, Italian writer and director Libya De Paolis portrays women for generations suffering from Never Never Land. At least she tries.
The main character is Wendy Darling Braverman, the granddaughter of the original Wendy (played by Vanessa Redgrave). Towards the beginning of the movie, Young Wendy spends one fierce night with Peter Pan at the age of 13 (Emily Carey plays teenage Wendy in flashbacks). Her own herself. Adult Wendy, played by De Paolis himself, struggles to embrace her life, including her non-magical husband and her daughter who is indignant.
Such a synopsis makes this movie seemingly compelling. Wendy, an adult who seems to be American, has an Italian accent. Moreover, these characters do not talk like normal humans. At one point, Wendy’s daughter, Berry, fought a fierce battle with the words “Goodbye, Mama.”
Instead of undoubtedly laying the foundation for Peter Pan’s role as a hostile figure, the film is strangely horny for the magical boy (played by Louis Partridge). When Young Wendy collapses head-on for Peter, his first act culminates. Sure, he thinks she’s the figure of her mother and has had a fight with her mother and her grandmother, but he’s also her real catch.
“The Lost Girls” has something to say on the surface about women’s experiences in JM Barrie’s classics, but it makes little sense at the end. Those poor viewers who are willing to undertake this Freud story and its dialogue comparable to “The Room” must bravely confront the ridiculous slogan for bread crumbs.
Lost girls
Unrated. Execution time: 1 hour and 40 minutes. Available for rent or purchase at the theater from June 17th Amazon, Google play And other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.