Missing
“Missing” is a film set in the same universe as the 2018 film “Searching” (which is an incredible first time ride if you've never seen it). It follows a lot of the same beats and rules as the first film, which I don't want to give away. In fact, my biggest recommendation is that if that if you're a fan of whodunits, don't Google either film, don't watch any trailers, just go in completely blank.
You'll be doing mental ping pong over what you think happened or who you think is responsible for the entire film, and that's probably 90% of the fun of these types of movies. But much like “Searching”, once the film ends and you have the answers, I could see not wanting to revisit the films for years to come until some of the details have left you again.
Both “Missing” and “Searching” follow the same unique format of being seen through the computer screens, phones, and security camera feeds of the people involved. That might sound a little weird to try to envision, but it works so, so well in both movies. I can't imagine trying to write a movie like this. Not only is it a great back and forth mystery, but the technological changes we see through on screen alone must have taken a very long time to hash out what we'd be using and when to view our characters.
“Missing” isn't quite as well acted as “Searching”, but that's a minor thing to pick at. The lead star of “Missing” is quite young (Storm Reid, 18), so it's a little unfair to compare her to veteran actor John Cho (46 when “Searching” was released). Don’t get me wrong, Storm Reid still does an excellent job. But because the leads make up almost the entire screen time, it is noticeable.
The finale to “Missing” goes pretty bonkers, and although I enjoyed it, it takes you out of the story a bit given how down to Earth and logical it had been up until that moment. But then the denouement wraps it all together beautifully.
Not even a month into the year and “Missing” will already have pushed it's way into the (most likely) top 10 of 2023. I enjoyed it a lot and highly suggest you catch it in the theatre while you can.
8.5/10
