A slick, fast-moving screenlife thriller that turns everyday apps, tabs, and video calls into suspense machinery. It’s less about realism than momentum, but the emotional hook and twisty structure make it an easy watch for viewers who like modern mystery storytelling.
Missing
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Drama · Mystery
Thu · 1h 51m
Director: Will Merrick, Nicholas D. Johnson
Starring: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung
Overview
When her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it’s too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers... and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.
Director
Will Merrick, Nicholas D. Johnson
Cast
Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung
Curator Review
Verdict
A slick, fast-moving screenlife thriller that turns everyday apps, tabs, and video calls into suspense machinery. It’s less about realism than momentum, but the emotional hook and twisty structure make it an easy watch for viewers who like modern mystery storytelling.
Best for
fans of tech-driven thrillers
viewers who liked screenlife storytelling
people who enjoy twisty missing-person mysteries
audiences who want a brisk, accessible streaming thriller
Skip if
you want grounded procedural realism
you dislike heavy reliance on phones, laptops, and on-screen interfaces
you prefer slow-burn psychological drama over plot mechanics
you’re tired of twist-first thrillers
Overview
Missing is built like a digital scavenger hunt, using screens, search histories, video chats, and social media breadcrumbs to keep the story moving. The result is a thriller that feels contemporary and highly watchable, even when it stretches plausibility in service of momentum.
Worth noting
Storm Reid carries the film well, and the movie’s central relationship gives the twists some emotional weight. It works best as a propulsive mystery about family secrets and the limits of what we think we know about the people closest to us.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a clever, accessible genre piece rather than a deeply realistic procedural, this is an easy recommendation. The style is the point, and the film mostly delivers on that promise.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ndc32002 (4★) · 16877 likes
how tf did javi only have 2.83 stars out of 5 on his service score? he gets a solid 5/5 from me would use again
jeaba (3★) · 11698 likes
this is how i feel after finding someone’s instagram with just their first name
Alex Vlahov (5★) · 11368 likes
the cursor hovering over the final CAPTCHA bus picture with uncertainty is the most real thing I’ve seen in a movie
A classic example of suspense built from observation, inference, and piecing together fragments.
Themes
missing person investigation, family secrets, digital sleuthing, online identity, parent-child relationships, cross-border tension, modern technology, twist-driven suspense
Topics
screenlife, thriller, mystery, drama, digital-age, family secrets, suspense, internet culture, contemporary, twisty