Desaparecida

"Missing" is an anomaly - for a January movie that had little to no marketing behind it, perhaps the most shocking thing about "Missing" is that it's a surprisingly high-quality thriller with a focus on true unpredictability.

"After her mother goes missing, a young woman tries to find her from home, using tools available to her online." This IMDb synopsis is literally all I knew about this movie as I wanted into the theatre to watch it opening night; I dragged my cousin along with me, who did not read this synopsis before entering the film; as we sat down in the plus, ultra-luxury reclining seats and the lights started to dim, my cousin leaned over and whispered into my ear, "I still have no idea what this movie is about." And besides the short plot description that I read, neither did I. And after watching this movie with only a vague idea of its plot, there is no doubt in my mind that seeing "Missing" totally blind as to what it has in store for you is the optimal viewing experience.

A true missing person's mystery, "Missing" has more twists and turns than a roller coaster at Cedar Point. The story organically unfolds to slowly reveal more pertinent information to the viewer - coupled with fast-paced editing and a rapid, heart-racing soundtrack, the 1 hour and 51-minute running time flies by. And this breakneck speed of the film only adds to the intensity, as you really begin to feel the struggle of having to find who is missing before it's too late. I literally found myself stressed out in the best way while watching this movie - and for a thriller, that's really all I want.

Now, how is the so-called found footage style of the movie - does it get in the way of the experience? Not at all; found footage movies historically get a bad reputation, but "Missing" is an example of found footage at its best. There is no annoying shaky camera where you can't see what's happening, or bizarre editing that hinders you from seeing pivotal story moments. Everything feels fluid and purposeful with a singular goal: To allow the audience to clearly follow the story in the most entertaining way possible.

Honestly, I loved this movie, and I'm having trouble figuring out what more to say other than, "I loved this movie." I'm not sure what's going on this January, but all I have to say is that if you're looking for an edge of your seat thriller, you found it.

This movie had no right to go this hard and be so entertaining. I'm likely the demographic for this type of movie, as it takes place entirely on screens and the lead is just a bit younger than me, but I typically find "fully online" movies to be boring, but this movie was exceptional. The clues are laid out but in a way where they are not super obvious, though the reveals with the clues later on are believable. The acting in this film was also much better than I was anticipating. An issue with movies like this are that there is no HD camera, so the visual aspect of acting is difficult to pull off, but the voices alone make the conversations work, and the visuals aren't too bad either. The movie works so well because of its emotional core and because of Javi, the best character. He seems like a genuinely nice dude who was played expertly by his actor, and I was rooting for him and June the whole movie.

I genuinely enjoyed 90% of the film. The idea of having this young woman sleuthing through little more than the apps on her phone and laptop was quite well presented. So much so that, frankly, the scenes set outside that computer setting looked uninspired and slapdash, namely any of the cable news programming and police news conferences. The silly little things we all experience with the internet and social media were solidly, often amusingly, displayed (my favorite perhaps being the slight hesitation deciding whether a front edge of a bumper constitutes part of a yellow school bus in a CAPTCHA picture).

And sure, there are numerous plot holes, mainly due to trying to maintain the mystery (the who?, how?, why? Only come into question after the reveal). But all this can be ignored, as the movie was genuinely engrossing for the majority of the picture. Until... the reveal, which, no spoiler, is sadly predictable. And while I don't entirely object to the nature of the resolution itself, the movie oddly changes pace into a rather pedestrian imitation of an action-thriller. I really wish it had been able to maintain its core atmosphere, and not descend into the ordinary.

June becomes concerned when her mother Grace doesn't return home from a trip to Colombia with her new partner Kevin.

First off, if you've seen Searching, you'll be very aware that it was made by the same people, I loved that, I loved this one.

What a clever plot, it's just a good old fashioned mystery, but one with a twist, this time it's the child searching for the parent, and instead of physically searching, she does it all with technology, makes a change to see tech given a positive spin.

Edge of the seat viewing, it is full of twists and surprises, you never know what is coming next, it doesn't follow any of the usual conventions. It didn't bore me for a second, what a triumph in writing.

Storm Reid was excellent as June I thought, a convincing performance, you really did get a sense of June's desperation and frustration.

9/10.

This is in the same vein as "Searching", a first person mystery/thriller, where almost every scene is of a person sitting at a computer or looking at a phone. If this alarms you, don't let it. It is very well put together, enough notes are put on the "screen" so even the very computer illiterate should be able to follow.

The story is a young girl, who loses her beloved father, and is raised by her now single mother without any other family. The mother disappears while on vacation and the daughter uses her computer skills to find clues. There are many twists and turns which will keep your interest. Not sure if all of the computer navigation is terribly realistic, but it's easy to suspend your disbelief, and I advise you to.