‘The Missing’: A highly-engaging social media thriller
Technological thrillers often highlight the cons of technology and social media as concerns over ad data personalization and increasing risks of cybercrime became just some of the things that people are worried about when they go online. These are valid fears, but what if there is a technological thriller that allows our computers and smartphones to be used for good, like finding your missing mother?
That’s the premise of “Missing” as the film focuses on a teenager named June (Storm Reid of “The Last of Us”, “Euphoria” and “A Wrinkle in Time”) whose mother goes suddenly missing during a vacation in Colombia with her boyfriend. Frustrated by the bureaucratic red tape, she decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate her mother’s disappearance – all by using the internet.
If this premise sounds familiar, it’s because “Missing” is a standalone sequel to 2018’s “Searching” starring John Cho who tries to find his missing daughter by using the internet. While “Missing” contains references to its predecessor, viewers who haven’t gotten the chance to watch “Searching” don’t need to check it out in order to get the story of the sequel.
Like the film that came before it, “Missing” exclusively takes place on the computer and smartphone screens of June and some characters in a few occasions. The film has a unique challenge of making viewers invested on what she is typing to search for clues that might help her find her mother.
There was never a boring moment as viewers can get glued to their screen as they witness the lengths the protagonist would go to find her missing mom. This includes looking at surveillance cameras at public areas in Colombia, hacking her mother’s Gmail and her dating app account, and even enlisting the services of a Spanish translator in Colombia to look for clues of her whereabouts.
It helps that the film feels realistic in a sense that this is how a teenager would use their computer and phone. There was even a scene where June goes through a CAPTCHA human verification test and she wasn’t sure if a block of a picture has a traffic light that it asked for, selling the authenticity of how someone would use the internet in 2022 which is when the film takes place.
The film shows us the perspective of June through her webcam which is conveniently turned on for us to see her emotions as she digs deep on the truth on her mother’s whereabouts. Reid’s performance really helps viewers feel sympathy for her as she regrets not showing her love and appreciation for her mom while she was still with her.
The story has so much intensity that viewers may not realize that it has some plot holes until after they are done with the film, thought this could easily be overlooked through the context of the background of the characters which explains the mother’s overprotectiveness of her daughter before she left for Colombia.
Flaws or what not, “Missing” didn’t waste its nearly two-hour run with its highly engaging plot thanks to its clever utilization of the internet as a storytelling tool that doesn’t feel gimmicky at all. Four stars out of five.