SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Missing
2.5 out of 5 Stars
Directors: Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick
Writers: Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick, Sev Ohanian
Starring: Storm Reid, Ken Leung, Megan Suri, Joaquim de Almeida, Amy Landecker, Nia Long
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Rated: PG-13 for some strong violence, language, teen drinking, and thematic material.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Studio Synopsis: From the minds behind “Searching” comes “Missing,” a thrilling roller-coaster mystery that makes you wonder how well you know those closest to you. When her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it’s too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers...and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.
Review: I had completely forgotten that I had seen “Searching.” It took a colleague’s recounting of the synopsis to remind me that the film had been at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. This shouldn’t be read as an immediate slight against the film. I see hundreds of movies every year and some don’t resonate. John Cho was quite good in the film, I just wasn’t in love with the “computer screen” genre of films where everything is presented as if it were being viewed from a computer, cell phone, or tablet. The format doesn’t work for me in a theatrical setting. The illusion is immediately broken.
So, you might be able to guess my feelings regarding “Missing,” a film that takes the “computer screen” format and applies it to a missing person story. I applaud directors/writers Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick willingness to try something new that still works within the framework of a PG-13 rating. Not everything needs to be as extreme as “Megan is Missing.” But centering on narrative on a teenage girl, June (Storm Reid), takes the film into the familiar ground found in “Unfriended” and its sequel.
The film begins with a nod to the found footage films of the past as James (Tim Griffin), a young father, films a playful scene with his daughter, June (the younger version is played by Ava Lee) that is interrupted by his wife Grace (Nia Long). We jump forward a decade. James has died and June still struggles with the loss as Grace attempts to move on with her life with boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung).
Grace and Kevin go on a trip to Columbia and don’t come back. This leaves June to try and piece together what happened with the help of her friend Veena (Megan Suri), her mother’s friend/lawyer Heather (Amy Landecker), and Javi (Joaquim de Almeida), a handyman in Columbia that she hires over the internet to be something of a private detective for her.
The story unfolds through email, security cameras, live streams, new reports, and other video streams. It’s a series of twist after twist that gradually give June answers to her growing list of questions.
It works well enough that even the absurdity of the ending can’t derail the film entirely. There’s just enough of a sense of danger and mystery to keep the narrative moving, but I can’t help but feel like the story was secondary to Johnson and Merrick figuring out how to make the scenes appear as if they are online. It’s a gimmick (many films are) and ultimately it doesn’t really grab my attention. Like “Searching” “Missing” is fine in the moment but I can’t imagine I’ll be thinking about it much after I finish writing this review.
Maybe you’ll feel differently.
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