This movie left me speechless at the end. I was surprised because when I saw the trailer of this movie, I thought it was going to be a B-class Hollywood movie. It blew my mind away and got me questioning how the storyline of the movie got me glued to the screen with intense concentration.
Have you watched "Searching (2018)"? If you haven't watched the movie before, you have missed out on a good movie. I remember watching the movie back in 2019. It was interesting and intense for me. It is also one of the movies I consider underrated. The movie was indeed underrated and didn't get the attention of the deserving audience. I talk about this movie because "Missing (2023)" is a sequel to it and can watch as a standalone. Both movies are connected with the same producing and directing crew.
"Missing (2023)" is an American thriller film that was distributed by Sony Pictures. Its storyline was created by the same two genius minds that created "Searching (2018)", Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty. It also was directed by Will Merrick and Nick Johnson. The movie starred Nia Long, Storm Reid, Amy Landecker, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, and Daniel Henney. The storyline of the movie revolves around a young girl whose mother went missing and how she tried looking for her using every tool she had at her disposal from her laptop/gadget.
A Little About The Plot.
The opening scene of this movie introduced us to the life of a young girl June Allen through an archive video of her and her deceased father on a vacation in a cabin. Then the viewers were given the impression that June's father was ill and died from a brain tumor. Fast forward to twelve years later, June is all grown and officially an adult whose lifestyle major revolves around the internet and her peer group of friends.
June's mother Grace was preparing to go to Columbia with her boyfriend Kelvin who she had just met recently but on the hand, but June behaves unaffected by her mother's departure as the viewers were given the impression that their relationship was not that good. Grace tried to get June's attention for a little mother-and-daughter bonding before she left but June dismissed all her mother's efforts. She was itching for her mother to go quickly so she could be alone and party with her friends.
Before Grace left, Kelvin tried to assure June of how he felt about her mother but June seemed not to be concerned with his assurance. Not properly saying goodbye to her mother, Grace left her daughter in the partial care of Heather, her friend, and hoped June wouldn't do anything stupid while she was gone. Grace used the money her mother gave for emergencies to party with her friends exorbitantly. It was time to go pick up her mother and Kelvin from the airport as they had all planned. June got to the airport and waited but her mother never arrived. What happened to her mother and Kelvin? Why were they not on their flight back home?
My Review And Rating.
One thing I enjoyed most about this movie was the storyline. The storyline was written brilliantly and impressively and I was shocked at how often I found myself gripped by the mystery that the story presented. It was the storyline that kept me glued to the screen as I watched the movie with intense concentration. I commend the writers of this movie, they did a fantastic job of getting the viewers drawn in and hooked into the story right from the very beginning up till the end.
Also, I enjoyed how the plot of this movie was narrated. It was narrated in a first-person perspective where almost every scene of the main character was sitting at a computer or looking at a phone. The plot scenes were excellently arranged and enough notes are put on the "screen" so even the very computer illiterate should be able to follow the plot sequence.
The directors and the editors made this movie into a masterpiece. Without them, I think this movie would have been a whacked movie or a failed project. The directors directed this movie in such a way that the audience experienced everything that the main character experienced through her eyes.
The editors made sure that all the screen transitions were done meticulously and neatly. All the transitions were so smooth that one could hardly tell it was all footage from a computer. It flowed freely with plot sequences and there was no confusion at all. The CGI was excellently done, and the few locations used in some scenes were just perfect.
The characters' performances were amazing. They acted well according to their roles and especially the main character June. She was the star of the movie and she was amazing. She carried the whole movie since she was the narrator. I felt all her emotions, she carried her role in a fantastic way that she took the audience/viewers with her along and kept them hooked till the end.
This movie is just a movie filled with twists stacked on twists. You would think you know what is going on and can predict what happens next but then the next scene just takes you on a fast ride to another aspect of the story that hasn't been explored and another mystery gets unveiled. Honestly, this movie is the best screenlife thriller movie I have seen. It was fantastic and gripping. The suspense in this movie was superb because it just kept the viewers in a loop of unexpected discovery.
Now I can say that the number of years used in preparing for this movie was worth it because a lot of work was put into this movie. I would urge you to watch "Searching (2018)" too if you enjoyed watching this one. This movie is a must-watch, especially with the way technology is taking over our lives.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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