with Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley.

The subject is mothers and daughters. Leda (Olivia Colman), troubled by her relationship with her adult daughters, runs into a large boisterous family while on holiday in Greece. Pregnancy and the difficulties of working while taking care of young children get a treatment I have not seen on screen, but hit home. Mothers will recognize themselves in scenes where a daughter wants something a mother cannot give right then.

The opening scenes were shot in dim lighting, perhaps true to the time of day they were depicting, but difficult to see the main character at first. Slowly it becomes clear that Leda, an academic, is trying to make up for her inability to be a good mother to her daughters. The story centers on a doll that’s gone missing that stands in for the children who’ve gone from her life.

We expect the worst. Peeling an orange like a snake becomes a suspenseful act. Is Leda a psychopath? She does things that make you wonder. Why do we fear her? The family she observes rents a large pink villa, an indicator of wealth, or something more sinister. Ed Harris as Lyle, the caretaker of the villa where Leda is staying, is the only human capable of joy in the movie. How he moves, especially when he is dancing, is wonderful. But throughout the movie, there is a feeling of menace.

The acting is universally excellent. Paul Mescal plays Will, the manager of the apartment where Leda is staying, as an eminently seduceable lad. He has an unforgettable line, used to describe the boisterous family which includes an always scantily clad Nina (Dakota Johnson): “They’re bad people.”

Jessie Buckley as the young Leda weaves together the threads of her character played by Colman as a woman of 48. Leda is observing but not observant enough. Even after something hits her back and gives her a horrid bruise, she is not leery enough of the bad people surrounding her.

The subject is important, and the treatment potently accurate. Gyllenhaal has assembled a great cast, found the perfect location, and produced an excellent movie. But be prepared to feel troubled while watching.