Missing is one that will trick you, shock you and confuse you. As soon as you think you’ve got it all figured out, it’s a dead end. It’s also a frightening reflection of the amount of screens, apps and cameras that will track you, even without you knowing.
Mother and Daughter duo Grace and June are living out their lives in suburbia. June is nearly 18 and her relationship with her newly dating mother is somewhat complicated. June’s father, James, appears to have died due to an illness. But June misses him dearly and you can tell a lot of her anguish is because of him not being in her life.
Grace goes on a much-needed holiday to Columbia with her new partner Kevin. June welcomes the freedom and instantly puts the money her mother left her for an emergency to good use. With a party every night, June cuts it fine on the final night before she picks up her mum with a raging house party.
But when Grace doesn’t arrive, June takes matters into her own hands. With the lack of help from any adult and the endless red tape, June sets to figure out her mother’s disappearance herself. Little by little June gets closer and closer thanks to all things online.
Sadly every trail June follows comes up with a dead end. Losing all hope, June has resigned to the fact she could be without her parents and goes to shut her laptop. That is, until one last chance could save her and her mother.
The fact that every shot is shown through the lens of a webcam, social media video, news report or security camera; is a poignant reminder there is hardly a moment we aren’t being watched. The Gen Z of the film doesn’t seem phased by this fact. But, the Gen X Mum had just enough savvy to know how to keep online tabs on her daughter.
The way Missing has been edited makes it feel a lot more intense than it might have otherwise played out. The audience is made to feel very much like they are spying. But this also brings an element of shock or surprise, even a sense of anxiousness as the viewer can see what they can’t. That said, it’s also hard to emotionally connect. You’re not able to get inside the character’s head because you’re made to feel like you’re watching them. This is why the film relies on the craft of its twists and turns.
Where this film excels from your average modern-day-thriller is in the twists and dead ends. It will leave you guessing the whole time.
It’s clever writing from Will Merrick and Nicholas D. Johnson who also wrote the screenplay for Searching. They also directed the film which helps get their ideas from paper to screen. They manage to drop little lines of dialogue or visual aid that may seem meaningless. But the way it’s done starts to get the detective inside you questioning every move.
The drama is brought to you by the likes of Storm Reid as June. Reid is dominating the screens of late with the likes of Euphoria and The Last of Us. And you can see why. Even though Reid is for the most part acting solo and to a screen, she manages to bring some drama and emotion. As I mentioned earlier, it was hard to emotionally connect despite her performance.
Missing is just the film to keep you guessing and excited to find out how it will all end. It’s different from anything screening at the moment. While it’s classed as a stand-alone sequel to Searching; it has grown since then. You’re submerged in the detail and you’ll want to be as you try to figure it all out.
