Shadows on the Wall

Missing

dir-scr Nick Johnson, Will Merrick
prd Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian, Natalie Qasabian
with Storm Reid, Nia Long, Joaquim de Almeida, Daniel Henney, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Tim Griffin, Megan Suri, Michael Segovia, Ava Lee, Lisa Yamada, Sharar Ali-Speakes
release US 20.Jan.23,
UK 21.Apr.23
23/US Sony 1h51

See also:

Is it streaming?

Brisk and suspenseful, this mystery spins off from 2018's Searching, recounting a tense story using computer or phone screens. The imagery is fiendishly clever, sending a terrific cast spiralling through a series of mind-boggling twists and turns. But as involving as the movie is, the plot completely disintegrates if you take a moment to think about it. So the best option is to just enjoy the wild ride.

At 18, June (Reid) only has one video of her late father James (Griffin) and is bristling against her over-protective mother Grace (Long). So when Grace goes on holiday to Colombia with her new boyfriend Kevin (Leung), June plans an epic party with best pal Veena (Suri), carefully concealing it from her mother's friend Heather (Landecker), who's been asked keep a watchful eye. Then Grace and Kevin don't return on schedule, so June contacts local FBI Agent Park (Henney). And on the internet she also finds Javi (de Almeida), a task-assistant who lives in Cartagena.

From here, the script doles out shocking revelations that continually reframe the situation, sending June into a new investigation, breaking into email and messaging accounts, finding out something else and pivoting again. It's exhilarating to watch, because the picture that comes together is big and outrageously detailed. But even a simple discussion of the plot unearths major flaws in the premise and storytelling.

As with Searching, performances have remarkable depth considering that characters are only seen on screens. Reid has superb presence as the tenacious June, increasingly horrified by each discovery, especially when things turn violent. The other standout is de Almeida, who offers a sparky edge to this helpful stranger as he provides assistance from far away. Others have much less screen time, but add what they can, most notably the always engaging Long.

With its parent-child story, filmmakers Johnson and Merrick are able to hook the audience quickly, deepening things with emotions and unexpected discoveries. This makes the movie seriously gripping, as it moves at a relentlessly brisk pace, darting between various apps and devices to take us on a journey. There are moments that raise nagging doubts (who carries on a deep conversation by sending video clips back and forth?). Then you realise that the story's foundations are beyond flimsy. But it's fun while it lasts. Here's the problem: James knows where June lives, so why stage an elaborate fake kidnapping, send two people to Colombia, hire various actors, murder the best friend and lurk in the background?

themes, language, violence 28.Mar.23

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.