Daddario (left) in Baywatch (2017)
I am a BIG fan of actress Alexandra Daddario, and those of you who watched the first season of the HBO limited drama series True Detective know why. Sure, she is a decent actress minus a few corny movies and TV show appearances but it’s the fact that she tends to bring a little extra to her roles that make her stand out. She is old school, and reminds us that even though the Katherine Heigl’s (Knocked Up) of the world are as prude as ever, actresses still exist that are willing to “fully immersive themselves” in a role - and that kind of commitment gets my attention.
Lost Girls and Love Hotels tells the story of a troubled soul looking to escape her past. Margaret, played by Daddarrio, uproots her life moving to Tokyo in hopes of losing herself in a new city with bright lights and a seedy underbelly. She takes a job as an English teacher at a Japanese flight attendant academy by day and fully immerses herself in the nightlife of the red-light district, complete with alcohol, sex, and a plethora of bad decisions. The film is about Margaret attempting to create a new identity while doing some unexpected soul-searching as she finds herself in a relationship with a member of the feared Yakuza.
Dadarrio is fully willing to take advantage of her body when it comes to roles like this, and I couldn’t respect her commitment to her craft more for obvious reasons. Lost Girls and Love Hotels is based on the novel of the same name written by Catherine Hanrahan, and even though I have yet to read the book as far as I can tell the film adaptation requires someone with an appetite for all things forbidden. I may have to read it though, sounds like it would make for some quality bedtime reading.
Lost Girls and Love Hotels will release in limited theaters and On-Demand September 18th.
Fun Fact: In 2006, Kate Bosworth acquired the film rights to Lost Girls and Love Hotels by Canadian novelist Catherine Hanrahan. The film, which was to be titled after the novel, was to star Bosworth as the lead character Margaret and be her first foray as a producer.