In recent years, low-budget thrillers and horror films have brought in considerable income to cinemas. Much like blockbuster action movies, these films lure audiences to theaters for an adrenaline-rich emotional cinematic experience that’s best done in a large group. Just released last week, “Missing” offers moviegoers this kind of heart-pounding experience while also providing social commentary relevant to our tech-centric society.
A spiritual sequel to 2018’s Searching, ‘Missing’ uses a unique technique to incorporate elements of thriller, mystery, and horror. All the events of the film are displayed through the screens of computers, tablets and smartphones. Specifically, the motion and shots in the film’s narrative are all screen captures of news broadcasts, messaging apps, video chat sessions, and security camera footage.
While this approach to filmmaking may seem restrictive on the surface, ‘Missing’ is a highly immersive experience that gives viewers a deep glimpse into the personal lives of its characters. It’s an experience. It’s the kind of movie that really grabs your attention and keeps you hooked until you get to the end. It went really well.
The protagonist of “Missing” is a high school student named June (Storm Reid) who tries to track down his mother (Nia Long). Putting the younger members of the family in the lead roles this time, as opposed to The Search, greatly increases the stakes and obstacles. It’s a unique coming-of-age story about a young woman struggling with the loss of her father, leaving her in a highly vulnerable state: she needs to find her mother. At the same time, she must fight to convince the adults around her to take the situation seriously.
Despite her difficult circumstances, June excels with her quick intelligence and technical savvy. and track down his mother’s whereabouts. Surprisingly, the answers June finds and how she discovers them rarely go beyond the bounds of logic or believability.
Ultimately, the film highlights the Orwellian quality of our digitized society. In our digitized society, our connections with others and ourselves are often made more complex by incredible technological innovations. The only real problem with the whole movie is the slightly chaotic and melodramatic third act, but I won’t spoil it here. But despite this, the film is definitely worth watching to the end.
And while I’m not sure the impact of this movie will be as exciting on a second viewing, I can’t stress enough how enjoyable the experience was. This is the kind of movie that people need to see in theaters, and if you’re looking for a night out that won’t leave you with any immediate regrets, I highly recommend bringing a group of friends along.
