Review: The digital trail is never cold in ‘Missing’
Our online presence is a blessing and a warning in ‘Missing’ as a young woman follows the digital trail to her mother’s unknown whereabouts.
Losing a loved one may be the most difficult thing many people ever experience. However, the circumstances of that loss has the ability to make it somewhat easier or much harder. In still other cases, there is a limbo of not knowing one way or the other, resulting in some manner of mourning that may not end. But in the last instance, one would do almost anything to know and perhaps avoid the worst-case scenario. In Missing, a young woman takes to the internet to find and maybe even save her mother when she disappears.
June (Storm Reid) is 18 and yearning for independence. Her mom, Grace (Nia Long), is loving, protective and a little hesitant to release her daughter from the nest. However, a tropical vacation with her new boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung), gives June the freedom she desires to sleep all day and party all night. But when it’s time for Grace to return, she never arrives at the airport. June does the usual checks regarding missed flights or delays before eventually contacting the embassy for help. The news is not good and with less restrictions than the agents investigating her case, June begins combing the internet for answers, following a path of shocking revelations and potentially dangerous players.
One of the hard truths some people discover is if you dig too far or deep into someone’s past, you’re likely to find things you won’t like or were never supposed to know. June always thought her relationship with her mother, while currently a little strained, was generally open and honest. But when perusing Grace’s intimate messages, June learns her mother has been hiding a big secret that could be related to her disappearance. June is so plugged-in and Google-adept, she’s able to engage in a full investigation thousands of miles away, accessing password-protected accounts and using reverse lookup to track down information, which she then checks with the assistance of Javi (Joaquim de Almeida), a local handyman-for-hire.
Much like its predecessor, Searching, this movie is told entirely via phone and computer screens, and surveillance videos. There’s been other films who’ve adopted this gimmick, but none quite as well as these movies. It leverages the fact that almost every part of our lives is online in some form, making it possible to track movements and interactions, both historically and in real-time. While it may be comforting to know your digital footprint could one day save your life, it’s also a warning to be wary of how easily your online presence can be accessed.
Much of this film rests on Reid’s shoulders as her computer’s camera captures her reactions to all the information she uncovers. In addition, she’s the link to all the other characters and interactions in the picture, from the FBI agent assigned to the case (Daniel Henney) to her friend doing her best to be supportive (Megan Suri) to Javi who goes above and beyond to aid her search. Most importantly, Reid keeps the audience engaged with the story as it twists and turns in unexpected directions.
Directors: Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick
Starring: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida and Nia Long
