Writing the Lost Girls review today with an appalling yet unsatiated appetite. The movie will entangle you in a case that remains a frustrating mystery. With a body count in the double digits, the Long Island serial killings remain one of the top unsolved cases in the U.S. This dramatization of true events will likely make you as enraged as its protagonist as you wish for a resolution.
Lost Girls Synopsis – Review
Based on a true story, Lost Girls is a suspenseful exploration into the unsolved case of the Long Island serial killer. It follows Mari Gilbert’s (Amy Ryan) search for her estranged daughter when she goes missing, and in the process, she exposes five murders of sex workers. When Shannan Gilbert doesn’t show up at her mother’s or boyfriend’s house, the family’s concern is piqued, but even after 48 hours the police prove to be ineffectual in locating the missing girl. Thus, Mari launches her own investigation, tracing her phones and interrogating Shannan’s abusive boyfriend. When she finally uncovers a disturbing 911 call, the police search the South Shore barrier islands of Long Island where she was last seen, only to find the remains of four women–but Shannan is not among them.
Background of the Case
Shannan Gilbert was a twenty five year old young woman when her family, Mari Gilbert and her sisters Sherre and Sarra, grew concerned about her absence. Working as an online escort, Shannan was hired from Craigslist by an Oak Island resident named James Brewer on the night of her disappearance in 2010. Not long after arriving at his residence, Shannan stormed erratically out of his house and ran off into the night, leaving her driver behind. Around the time she was pounding on doors within the neighborhood, she called 911 and said “There’s someone after me . . . they’re trying to kill me.”
The police didn’t respond to the call until an hour later, and by then Shannan had disappeared. With the advocacy of Mari Gilbert, the police finally started to take Shannan’s disappearance seriously enough to investigate. In the process of exploring Ocean Parkway where she was last seen, they uncovered four bodies of Craigslist escorts, and eventually, that number multiplied to ten. Shannan’s body wouldn’t be found until 2011, in a marsh half a mile from where she was last. While the other bodies are attributed to the unidentified Long Island serial killer, Shannan’s death was deemed accidental. An autopsy later revealed damage to the hyoid bone, indicating strangulation, and her body was found face up which is uncommon for drowning victims. But to this day, her death is listed on the police report as accidental.
Lost Girls Makes a Strong Statement – Review
With a slew of true crime films and docuseries telling grisly narratives with the serial killers taking center stage, Lost Girls turns our attention toward the victims and the conflict between grieving families and sometimes shoddy handling of missing persons cases by police. When Mari gets fired up over the police’s slow response time after Shannan’s pleading 911 call, we feel the rage along with her; more so when she demonstrates to commissioner Richard Dormer (Gabriel Byrne) that police will show up sooner for a call from a resident of gated communities than they would a paid escort.
Amy Ryan’s performance as the bereaved, strong-willed mother forces the viewer to pay attention to a case that’s gone far under the radar. At times she is tough and persuasive, and at other times, she shows Mari’s inflexible hardness in her family life. Mari is portrayed as a woman with deep flaws, but also incredible passion.
Gabriel Byrne is likewise compelling in his role as the jaded commissioner on the verge of retirement. The audience keeps guessing about Dormer’s true interest in the case and his degree of competence. One of his detectives, Dean Bostick, is a clearer antagonist to Mari Gilbert, however. Played by Dean Winters, the character is almost unbelievably dismissive of the case as he treats Mari’s passion and anger with villainous levity.
You can order the book Lost Girls written by Robert Kolker here:
The Film Sways Its Audience Toward a Particular Perspective
With all crime dramas that are based on true events, it’s often in the back of one’s mind whether some embellishments or bias entered the mix. While dramatization is to be expected, Lost Girls isn’t for the viewer who wants the facts and only the facts. There are a few facts that are embellished in the film to create more conflict between Mari and the police than actually existed. For example, the remains of the first victim were not found accidentally by a police dog who was let out to go to the bathroom as the movie states. Rather, the police used canine training exercises in their search for Shannan, which is how the first woman’s remains were discovered.
Another invention is the misogynistic Dean Bostick, who was not based on a real detective. His presence in the film is to vividly embody sexist attitudes that in the real world are often far more subtle. While watching the film, his character seems so unbelievable at times that it makes one feel as if they’re being nudged toward an interpretation of the case that puts most, if not all, of the blame on law enforcement.
A Solid Introduction to the Long Island Murders
The film leaves out important details, like the other suspects in the case, including Suffolk County resident, John Bittroff, who was arrested for killing two prostitutes in 2014 and is considered a likely suspect and steers us toward Mari Gilbert’s conclusion of who killed her daughter. But Lost Girls gets the majority of its facts right and provides enough dramatization to make us want to explore the case further.
But be prepared to go on a dark, unforgiving journey where accountability is difficult to pin down and the deaths of young women go unnoticed for an inordinate amount of time. Lost Girls might spark your rage, but don’t expect it to offer you the release of catharsis, as this case devastatingly has none to give.
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Check out the trailer of Lost Girls here:
Lost Girls
Pros
- Strong Performances
- Good Build Up for Plot
Cons
- Takes liberties with the facts
