What They Say:
After her mother goes missing, a young woman tries to find her from home, using tools available to her online.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
I find the concept of the ‘computer screen mystery thriller’ to be a genre both fascinating and disturbing at the same time. The concept of this genre is that a movie is told exclusively through computer screens and tablets. When the first film of the genre (“Unfriended”) was released it was a novel idea that spoke volumes about how we as a society were spending so much time online that it could be argued that we were no longer living in reality, but rather a digital space. “Missing” is the latest movie in this budding genre and the results are not only impressive from a storytelling perspective but also disturbing when you really get into the scope of the film.
The story revolves around a teenage girl who is left home alone while her mom goes on a weekend trip overseas with her boyfriend. While June (Storm Reid) is having fun at first partying with her friends and hanging out at the pool, eventually it is time to pick up mom from the airport. The problem is when the time comes to pick her up her mom doesn’t arrive on the plane. Nor does she answer her phone. Soon her mom is officially considered a missing person. This means it’s time to start looking for clues. June manages to hack into her mom’s boyfriend’s private Gmail account. Phone records are dug through. Obviously, Instagram is going to be used to dig for clues.
When the FBI doesn’t help June she reaches out to someone through Task Rabbit to go to the hotel and grab the security footage from the hotel. When that fails, June realizes that there are cameras live streaming famous tourist attractions that can be accessed online. As the mystery gets deeper and our questioning grows wider, I had a terrifying realization: I was so involved in the mystery that the fact that all of the footage could be shown with cameras was unnerving when you stopped to think about it. In 1997 a movie called “The Truman Show” came out in which Jim Carrey lived in a giant dome that contains a massive TV set.
He is the star of his own show but doesn’t realize it. Since the release of that movie, doctors have actually come up with an official diagnosis called ‘Truman Show Delusion,’ in which the patient believes that the world is watching them and that they are trapped in a show or simulation of some sort. Yet here is a movie where we can watch a movie made up of security camera footage via webcams, phones, tablets, and security cameras. Virtually no shot is unavailable for us to watch. And while there are some slightly contrived reasons as to why some of the cameras are placed where they are, it was nonetheless a sobered realization of how natural most of the shots appeared.
There will be so little question in audiences’ minds about how much we actually see through these various cameras that it should come off as unsettling when you stop and think about it. Just how much of our lives ARE being filmed?! Are we at the point where you can’t go anywhere without your life being documented on the cloud? Where old conversations are just a password hack away? Are we so comfortable with the idea that we can now watch a whole movie where a story is pieced together through real-life spyware and we as the audience members don’t bat an eye? It is a question I’m still coming to terms with.
In Summary:
To be clear, “Missing” is a great mystery and a compelling narrative. It uses the limitations of the genre to tell a captivating mystery and the film is anchored by a winning performance by Storm Reid (who will likely be high in demand after audiences see this film). That the limitations of the genre no longer seem like limitations may be something to ponder when you are finished with this review. First things first though: enjoy the show, it’s a good one! Afterwards…well, that’s the time for contemplation.
Grade: A-
