These two new drops on our favorite streaming channels are explorations into the past, with a keen eye to detail. The first, is the directorial debut of noted actress Maggie Gyllenhaal; and it’s touted as one of the films that will get multiple nominations come Awards season. The second is actually a Harry Potter special, looking back on how the film franchise kicked off twenty years ago.

The Lost Daughter (Netflix) - If there’s one thing we can laud this film on, it’s how novice director Maggie Gyllenhaal has gone beyond turning this into a mere acting showcase. It’s all that, but so much more, as Gyllenhaal tackles this Elena Ferrante novel that takes off the rose-tinted glasses when it comes to addressing motherhood and the maternal instinct. Olivia Colman heads the cast as Leda Caruso, a woman well into her forties who’s a Literature professor, and vacations in Greece on her lonesome. It’s revealed that she’s a mother of two girls, and we get glimpses of her past as Jessie Buckley takes on the role of the younger Leda. On the Greek village resort, the plot thickens with the arrival of a big family that includes a young mother (Dakota Johnson), and her toddler daughter.

The instability and downside of motherhood are examined in this film, how children can be part reward and part burden, are fully explored within the confines of the screenplay and film. This ambivalence of the maternal instinct is dramatically explored and exposed - as it’s far easier to romanticize and idealize motherhood. And it’s quite telling that it’s a woman who originally wrote the novel this film is based on. There’s one scene in the village market, when Leda unburdens her story of abandoning her two daughters for a period of time, that could well lead to multiple Best Actress nominations for Colman. As for Buckley, I hope this can finally be the breakthrough film this wonderful Irish actress needed to reach a wider audience, as she plays this one wonderfully.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (HBO Go) - Here’s the second big reunion show that HBO Max has conjured up. Coming after their "Friends" reunion show, the one thing I’ll say straight off is that this one is far better conceptualized, and put together. With Friends, there was so much stretching, and if you weren’t a big fan of the show, there really wasn’t all that much to watch. Here with Potter, the lessons of that special must have been learned, and we stick to the musings and reflections by the cast today, and behind the scenes footage from when it all began. And you’ll also appreciate how they take head on remembering the members of the various casts of the film franchise that have passed on. Its nostalgia wrapped up in a package that carries both style and substance.

There are some notable absences from the 2021 footage assembled for this January 1st 2022 HBO special. And besides Dame Maggie Smith, I’d say the absence of authoress JK Rowling would be the most prominent. I can only guess her controversial statements on social media may be partly the reason. The one thing I still wonder about is whether a younger audience can still relate to all this nostalgia, or whether they’ll enjoy just revisiting the actual films. Too often, these specials have a tendency to strip the original films of the ‘magic’ they possessed, and it’s just the older audience who appreciate these nostalgic look back. Each of us who have taken the journey with these Potter films will have their favorite moments in this special, but if I have to choose my favorite, they would be the ones with Helena Bonham-Carter, who’s as entertaining off-role, as when she’s in character.