In Missing, 18-year-old June Allen is left home alone while her mother, Grace, takes a week-long vacation to Columbia with her boyfriend, Kevin. While Grace is away, June is given some money to use in case of an emergency, but is pretty much left to her own devices.
There is just one request: In one week’s time, June is to pick up Grace and Kevin from Los Angeles International Airport. She is to be there at 11am prompt, in order to drive the pair home.
Fast-forward a week and June arrives at the airport ready to welcome her mother and Kevin home. However, after waiting for everyone to get off the plane, and allowing for any additional delays, she is upset to discover the pair are nowhere to be seen.
Concerned for her mother’s welfare, June contacts the hotel where Grace and Kevin stayed, then calls the police. But neither can offer much help, leaving June to rely on online resources to attempt to track down their whereabouts.
However, the more June searches for Grace and Kevin, the more perplexing their disappearance becomes. Troubling information is uncovered, which suggest something sinister has taken place over the past week, leaving June confused and extremely frantic.
Directed by Will Merrick and Nick Johnson, Missing stars Storm Reid, Ken Leung, Nia Long, and Daniel Henney. The movie is a standalone sequel to 2018’s Searching, and arrives in UK cinemas on April 21st, following its US release back in January.
As with its predecessor, Missing is a tense thriller, told through the use of video phones, online calls, and computer screens. Every action that June undertakes is recorded through modern technology, with the audience privy to all her online investigation and surveillance work, including video footage, emails, and sticky notes.
If you’ve previously watched Searching, you will be more than familiar with the concept of Missing, as the two films follow the same format. However, this is largely the only similarity, as Missing has a different premise and a new set of characters.
I use the phrase “largely the only similarity”, as the two films do also share one key thing in common: They are both very strong movies. Searching proved to be a great thriller back in 2018, and Missing is equally as good in 2023.
The reason this picture works as well as it does is because it has a very simple premise, which is backed up by a strong and tight narrative. The film makes it clear who the characters are and what they should be doing at certain points in the story, before briskly moving on to establish its central mystery.
Then as the story progresses, a number of clues are introduced, new revelations are uncovered, and a few twists and turns are peppered around. Some of the information proves to be less important than it might seem, but it all helps to deepen the mystery.
At no point does the picture become complicated or confusing, and there is a very clear thought process throughout. Each new plot point feels like a natural progression from the one that came before, and there are no huge leaps that seem illogical or misjudged.
As with all good mystery-thrillers, the film also understands that part of the enjoyment of this type of movie is allowing the audience to play along too. Sure, this is June’s story, and ultimately the audience can’t change the outcome of events, but that doesn’t stop the film from drawing everyone in.
Thanks to the way in which Missing is filmed, it always feels as if YOU are part of the investigation. Text and videos are constantly drip-fed onto the screen, there is always something new to catch your attention, and in no time at all it is easy to forget that you’re not a key player in this story.
And the way in which the narrative unfolds, and the information is presented, really helps to build up the suspense and tension. This in turn ensures that minutes fly by unnoticed, as the picture moves ever closer to its grand resolution.
Oh, and all the while, lead star, Storm Reid, proves to be more than capable of carrying scene after scene, after scene. A great deal of her performance is largely seen through her facial reactions, but it is more than enough to convey the severity of each sequence.
While Missing does follow a similar concept to Searching, and therefore it can’t claim to be as original as it predecessor, it is equally as enjoyable to watch. The film is well written, the story is captivating, and those who love a good mystery will find much to hold their attention.
If further films crop up in this series, then it’s likely the novelty will wear off quite quickly, but for now, Missing delivers. It is a solid film that knows how to entertain its audience, and is most certainly worth your time.
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