Film Review - Missing (2023)

Over the last few years, as our relationships with technology get bigger and more obsessive, it was inevitable that Hollywood would look to use its massive influence over our daily lives as the primary plot device and focus of a number of films. 2018’s Searching, an excellent little thriller and was a sizeable success but, on paper, the film’s high-concept of the action taking place on computer screens and phones was something of a stretch but, somehow, it worked.

Inevitably, of course, as the first of the new sub-genre being born, it soon became the film many studios wanted to acquire and quickly. Since then, we’ve had the underrated Unfriended which combined the terrors of haunted houses, possessions and Facebook friend requests; Friend Request, which is self explanatory; and, perhaps the best of them, Profile, about a journalist going undercover to learn about terrorist recruitment. Now it’s the turn of Missing, the new brainchild from the producers of Searching, acting as a “spiritual sequel” (different story, same timeline) that moves the thrills forward into 2023 and our continued reliance on technology that, in this case, isn’t a bad thing.

The challenge, as with those others, is keeping it fresh. Can a film like this still provoke debate, keep audiences engaged and keep itself on the right side of thoughtfulness without being too outlandish? Lessons have certainly been learnt from its predecessor and, for the most part, it does exactly what it says on the tin with supreme confidence and plenty of thrills and spills. This time, the story focuses on teenager June (Storm Reid) whose relationship with her mother Grace (Nia Long) is as frosty as most when the growing pains of adolescence begin to sink their teeth in. Added to the tension is June’s absent father and Grace’s want for companionship, hence her utilising dating apps that have led her to her new beau Kevin (Ken Leung).

Blossoming into new love, they plan a trip together but when they don’t arrive back on schedule, June begins to suspect something isn’t quite right and soon sets out to try to retrace their steps through emails, messaging sites, dating apps and more and begins to uncover a mystery no-one could imagine. Utilising its conceit well, Missing sustains its tension effectively enough throughout despite some ridiculous plotting and nonsensical decision making, it still manages to keep you on your toes, not least because of Reid‘s brilliant central turn, who elevates the film beyond its obvious storytelling parameters.