(***1/2)
Sometimes when Mom and Dad are away, the kids will play. But what happens when Mom and Dad don’t come back?
The writers and directors of this amazing, tech-savvy, mystery thriller know how to cut things close. That’s because they were the editors of the 2018 cult classic “Searching,” which starred John Cho, and built its fear from the ground up—with normal people.
The “Searching” writer-director Aneesh Chaganty and co-writer Sev Ohanian produced this new thriller. Will Merrick and Nick Johnson—the editors of “Searching”—also wrote and directed “Missing.”
In “Missing,” June Allen [Storm Reid] is a rambunctious Los Angeles teenager, always on the internet, knee deep in social media, texting, DMing with friends and oblivious to her mother Grace’s [Nia Long] rants. Mom is angry that her daughter’s phone’s voicemail is full, and she can’t leave a message. June could care less. She’s busy chatting with friends. It’s with great apprehension that Grace decides to take a trip to Colombia with her new boyfriend Kevin [Ken Leung, TV’s “Lost”]. While she warns June not to have parties, the kid is already organizing the drug-fueled rave she’ll throw at their suburban home.
Days later, hungover like a rock star, June shows up late at the airport to pick up her mother and Kevin. The couple doesn’t get off the plane. They’re gone. No trace of them anywhere.
When a U.S. embassy agent in Colombia [Daniel Henney] is slow to respond and fails to take her mother’s disappearance seriously, June takes matters into her own hands. From her keyboard in her bedroom, she investigates.
With a high-tech flare, Merrick and Johnson have imaginatively concocted a stunning, mind-boggling crime story that unfolds like a series of revealing screenshots. Ingeniously, the camera [cinematographer Steven Holleran] barely follows the characters. Instead, the movie focuses on the multitude of digital gadgets, closed-circuit monitors, emails, text messages, videos, social media posts, URLs, memes, and live streams June’s character must sift through to solve the mystery.
Reid bears the weight of the story well. The fear in her eyes, frustration on her face, intelligence and curiosity is all on display. Nia Long as the quintessential mom. Veena [Megan Suri] as June’s best friend, and veteran actor Joaquim de Almeida [TV’s “24”] are all just as captivating in their own way, as June keeps eyes on the ground in Colombia.
When the script explores de Almeida’s character’s fractured father-son relationship, the film becomes especially poignant. “You may have given up on your son, but I’m not giving up on my mom,” says June.
Kudos to the editors, Arielle Zakowski and Austin Keeling, for keeping the plot tightly held together. There are very few action scenes, but those moments look authentic [production designers Kelly Fallon, Lauren Paonessa; set decorator Jennifer Herrig].
The musical score [Julian Scherle] pumps up the volume right on cue. This film pops off the screen in the most natural and believable way because the characters seem more like the people next door, thanks to costume designers, Lindsay Monahan, and Sona Rita Guekguezian.
This generation of tech-obsessed, social media fanatics have been given their own mystery-thriller. For all the moms and dads complaining that their kids are spending too much time alone in their rooms on their devices, this is a warning. Texting and social media may save your life one day!
Almost single-handedly, this smartly crafted film is giving the mystery-thriller a fresh take.
“Missing” opened on January 20. Check local listings for showtimes.
Dwight Brown is a film critic for DwightBrownInk.com and NNPA News Wire. Find more of his work at DwightBrownInk.com.
