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. However, as she digs ever deeper, her digital sleuthing soon raises more questions than answers.
Director: Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick
Cast: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, Nia Long
Release Date: January 20, 2023
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, language, teen drinking, and thematic material.
Runtime: 1h 51m
Review:
2018's Searching was a fairly impressive thriller that used our modern screen centric life to great effect. Missing serves as an in universe follow up with a stand alone story that only references the first film in passing during it's opening via a true crime show retelling. First time directors Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick do a solid job of establishing their setting and character dynamics early on before moving onto the central mystery. It’s a kinetic series of window and screens that feel authentic for the better part of the film even when the plot starts to stretch credibility. The central mystery is engaging enough to let you buy into some of larger logical leaps the story takes especially in its final act. It’s an immensely watchable film due in large part to its effective cast lead by Storm Reid. Reid carries the film with impressive ease especially since she's mainly performing on her own and reacting to what she sees onscreen. She possesses a believable authenticity which makes the film work much more than it would in the hands of a lesser actress. The supporting cast is solid but there's a noticeable drop off from Reid's work with Joaquim de Almeida faring the best. Missing does falter a bit once the reveal occurs, especially since its telegraphed fairly early on, but that doesn't keep the film from being far more engrossing and entertaining than it should be.
B
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