A college professor confronts her unsettling past after meeting a woman and her young daughter while on vacation in Greece. Her obsession with the woman and her daughter prompts memories of her early motherhood. This is of course the synopsis of The Lost Daughter, the stunning book by Elena Ferrante.

In this movie there isn’t only the amazing screen play by Ferrante but the directional skill of Maggie Gyllenhaal and the sublime acting of Olivia Coleman. It doesn’t get much better than that.

But that’s not enough. The supporting cast of Dakota Johnson, Paul Metal Jessie Buckley, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Alba Rohrwacher and Jack Farthing are adding the spices to this tasty dish.

Coleman steals the show, of course. This morbid and taxing movie is rising above the standard movie fare thanks to her. It’s a joy to watch Coleman in anything she’s in – but this one is especially beautiful; if a bit sad.