Books
Maggie Gyllenhaals film makes a few critical tweaks.
Leda doesnt mourn her newly emptied nest, however.
Its no surprise that GyllenhaalsThe Lost Daughterreceived its fair share ofOscar nominations in 2022.
At first glance, the book and the movie appear to end similarly.
But Gyllenhaals film omits a key scene from the book, which changes viewers interpretation of the ending entirely.
Below, read howThe Lost Daughterbook ending compares to the movie.
How DoesThe Lost DaughterBook End?
When she wakes, Leda finds that shes been admitted to the hospital following a minor motor vehicle accident.
The only serious injury, she tells us, was in my left side, an inexplicable lesion.
Outraged by this betrayal, Nina flies into a rage.
She takes Nani with her and leaves the keys behind.
Physically and emotionally wounded, Leda packs her things and starts to make her way homeward.
As she departs, she receives a call from her daughters, who ask how shes doing.
Ledas response is the final line of the novel: Im dead, but Im fine.
How DoesThe Lost DaughterMovie End?
Gyllenhaals film opens with Ledas (Colman) car crash.
Much like the book, the movie tells Ledas story in flashbacks in the aftermath of her accident.
The events of the novel play out on screen relatively unchanged, save for a few Anglicized names.
After the stabbing, Leda leaves and crashes her car, just as in the book.
Whats different is what happens next.
In Ferrantes novel, Leda remains unconscious throughout the accident and wakes only once shes in the hospital.
There, she takes the phone call from her daughters as the credits roll.
What Should You Make Of The Differences?
Both versions ofThe Lost Daughterleave Ledas fate open to interpretation.
Is she really dead or dying from the stab wound, which is more serious than she first thought?
In the book, Leda makes it to the hospital, but later tells her daughters that shes dead.
So what really happened to Leda at the end ofThe Lost Daughter?
In both the novel and the film, youre asked to draw your own conclusions.
Elena FerrantesThe Lost Daughterisavailable now.The Lost Daughtermovie is now theaters, and willstream on Netflixbeginning Dec. 31.
