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Lost Girls (film)

Lost Girls is a 2020 American mystery drama film directed by Liz Garbus and written by Michael Werwie.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated September 11, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Lost Girls is a 2020 American mystery drama film directed by Liz Garbus and written by Michael Werwie. It is based on Robert Kolker’s nonfiction book Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery and dramatizes the search for a missing woman that helps expose a series of unsolved murders on Long Island.

Premise

The film centers on Mari Gilbert, whose search for her missing daughter leads her into an investigation of disappearances and murders involving sex workers on Long Island.

Production and release

Lost Girls was directed by Liz Garbus from a screenplay by Michael Werwie and released in 2020 by Netflix.

Source material

The film is based on Robert Kolker’s nonfiction book Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery, which examines the real-life case that inspired the movie.

Reception

The film was reviewed as a serious dramatic treatment of the case, and it was noted for Garbus’s transition from documentary filmmaking to narrative feature direction.

Key facts

  • The film is a mystery drama based on true events.
  • It follows Mari Gilbert’s search for her missing daughter Shannan and the police investigation that follows.
  • The story is connected to the unsolved Long Island serial killings.
  • Liz Garbus made her narrative feature directorial debut with the film.
  • The film premiered on Netflix in March 2020.
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Canadian context

Lost Girls is available to Canadian audiences through Netflix and has also been covered by Canadian and international viewers as a true-crime drama tied to a widely discussed U.S. case.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lost Girls about?
It follows a mother’s search for her missing daughter, which leads to the discovery of multiple unsolved murders on Long Island.
Who directed Lost Girls?
Lost Girls was directed by Liz Garbus.
What is the film based on?
It is based on Robert Kolker’s nonfiction book Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery.
When was Lost Girls released?
The film was released in 2020, including a March 13, 2020 Netflix release in the United States.
Who stars in Lost Girls?
The cast includes Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, and Gabriel Byrne.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Girls_(film)
    Supports: Directed by Liz Garbus; written by Michael Werwie; based on Robert Kolker’s nonfiction book; synopsis and subject matter.
  2. Netflix — https://www.netflix.com/title/80223927
    Supports: Official description, 2020 release, genre, and principal cast.
  3. RogerEbert.com — https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lost-girls-2020
    Supports: Film review identifying Liz Garbus’s narrative feature directorial debut and the film’s subject.
  4. Netflix Tudum — https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/lost-girls-release-date-news-true-story
    Supports: Background on the film, its basis in real events, and its connection to the Long Island serial killings.
  5. Common Sense Media — https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/lost-girls
    Supports: Runtime, director, cast, studio, genre, and summary of the plot.
  6. IMDb — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3111426/
    Supports: Release date and basic film identification.
  7. Wikipedia — https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Girls_(film)
    Supports: Alternative source for basic film facts, cast, and production details.