Barbarella likes the plot of MISSING but has some issues with the formatting choices

Published: January 19, 2023, 2:45 PM CST by Barbarella

Hello, my friends. Barbara here. I spend a lot of time in front of a screen. My day job requires a variety of reporting, coding, writing, chatting and emailing on my computer. After my day job is over, I switch gears to writing for the AICN, which means I'm still stuck in front of my computer, transcribing interviews and writing reviews. Although the movies are also technically on a screen, they feel different to me because I'm not watching them on my phone or computer. Essentially, I feel like they offer respite from the windows and chat boxes that so often invade my eyes. While Missing is a movie, and therefore should offer me that escape, it doesn't, as the vast majority of the movie sees almost everything on a computer screen, phone, or a watch. Missing immerses me so much in the world of technology that it's almost off-putting. However, the mystery makes the story engaging enough that I can forgive the formats used to tell it.

I'll talk about formats again later, but I think it's important to say that this isn't my favorite movie titled Missing to come out in the last few months. That honor goes to Shinzō Katayama's film about a girl whose father disappears after claiming he was going to collect the reward from a serial killer he found. It is a fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking story. This Missing is good, though, don't get me wrong, but this one is just better.

The subject of this review, Disappeared by Will Merrick and Nick Johnson, tells the story of June after her mother goes abroad with her new boyfriend and never returns. June (Storm Reid) uses crazy computer skills to investigate and seek answers regarding what is happening to her mother, Grace (Nia Long). I love the level of intrigue throughout the story. It really captivates. Also, seeing how deftly June navigates between multiple apps to communicate, gather information, and ask for help is a bit overwhelming to me. She makes the best use of Taskrabbit I think I've ever seen! In fact, this movie could be used as training material for the useful tools provided by the Internet. The tech-averse people might even be forced to watch it to showcase all the amazing resources available at their fingertips if only they took the opportunity to learn how to use a computer or smart device. Not that many of us over a certain age would be able to match the speed and skill with which June maneuvers around the keyboard. Honestly, I feel a little jealous of his dexterity. Sigh.

One thing that causes no jealousy is the situation she finds herself in. At first, it is clear that June is rebelling against her mother and seeking to be left alone. (I mean, I guess it's just being a teenager, right?) However, once her mother is gone, June begins to realize that having a caring mother involved in her life may not be the worst thing. She devises many innovative methods to search for answers, which makes the story seem almost like a heist in her intelligence. What's not smart, and downright annoying, is that even though almost everything is viewed through some sort of computer screen, scenes viewed directly still look blurry. I don't understand the reasoning behind this. Maybe the filmmakers want us to believe that today's reality isn't clear unless viewed through some sort of electronic device. Perhaps there is another deeply hidden meaning that escapes my ability to comprehend. Whatever the reason, whenever a character is blurry in a room, I get distracted and it spoils my fun of disappearing. I just want the camera operator to focus on each of these shots. It's driving me a little crazy, but it's a short drive from where I usually live, so I get over it pretty quickly...until they do it again.

If you choose to see this film, you will definitely want to avoid spoilers...