When Black Mirror premiered, it took the world by storm. The dystopian look at how technology shapes our lives was innovative yet haunting. Concurrently, a subgenre of thrillers began to pop up. These films or shows were usually focused on finding a missing character, and they used technology to get to the bottom of the truth.
These projects were like the child of films like Taken and shows like Black Mirror. One such film that fell in this subgenre, and was critically as well as commercially acclaimed, was 2018’s Searching. It was about a father who used technology, computers, phones, and more to find his missing daughter. Now, a 2023 film that is a sort of sequel to the film has again drawn everyone’s attention.
Missing is taking Netflix by storm due to its twists and ability to use the current tech available to track down a missing person. The film tells the story of June, a teenage girl who realizes her mother, Grace, has gone missing after going with her new boyfriend, Kevin, for a vacation in Colombia. So she contacts the authorities, but when they hit a dead end, June takes it upon herself to bring her mother home.
In the end, June finds that it was her abusive and drug addict biological father, James, who kidnapped her mother, Grace, and was keeping her locked up. He locks June up and shoots her mother.
However, before he can end her, June uses a shard of broken glass to stab him in the neck. In the end, it’s shown that Grace has recovered, and June is watching a Netflix show, Unfiction, based on her story.
What Was June Watching at the End of Missing?
In Missing, the final act reveals that the Churchman, Jimmy, is actually June’s biological father. He says that he has been searching for her and that Grace had falsely accused him to put him in prison. However, June learns that Jimmy, or James, isn’t telling the truth.
Grace had left with June because James was a drug addict and abusive. She had told her daughter that her father was dead to spare her the humiliation of knowing what kind of man he was. June also discovers that James got incarcerated right when Kevin, her mom’s new boyfriend, was too.
It’s revealed that James was the one who planned everything with Kevin. He told the latter to get closer to Grace so that he could know where she and his daughter were. Now that June has figured it out, James gets angry and kidnaps her. He takes her to where her mother is locked up.
Mother and Daughter are finally reunited, but the danger is just beginning. James shoots Grace and tries to hurt June too. But before he can do so, she stabs him in the neck with a shard of glass. James dies before he can call for help. June then asks Siri to call the police through her home’s security camera.
It works, and the AI assistant on her cellphone, which was left on her desk at home, calls the police. The film ends with a scene of June in college. It has been four months since the incident, and she’s on a computer watching the events that transpired in her home. It’s shown that a Netflix crime show, Unfiction, was made based on her story.
It’s a meta-commentary on the fact that Netflix is known for its true crime documentaries and shows. Also, it cheekily reminds viewers that they are already watching one techno crime thriller on Netflix and then watching the character in it watch the adaptation of her story on the streaming platform. It’s a delightful reference.
The film ends with Grace and June texting their love for each other. It solidifies their mother-daughter bond further.
What Happens to June’s Mom in Missing?
June’s mother, Grace, goes on a vacation to Colombia with her new boyfriend Kevin. But when June goes to pick her up from the airport on the day she’s supposed to return, she fails to find her. Distraught, she calls the police, but even they fail to locate her.
The only thing they can find is a video where Kevin and she get attacked by a cartel. June then starts investigating because she and her mom didn’t have anyone else. Her investigations reveal that Kevin had a criminal history. However, she later finds out that her mother knew about his background.
What’s shocking is that she had secrets of her own as well. Once June successfully accesses her mom’s Gmail account, she finds out that Grace had received threatening emails. Over the course of the film, it’s revealed that the Church guy she was talking to in the beginning was not Jimmy but James, her biological father.
He was abusive and a drug addict man. This led to Grace filing a police report and moving away with June. It’s shown that he had kidnapped Grace and kept her in a locked room. He had also conspired with Kevin, who he had met in prison, to trap Grace and get information about her. Once June learns the truth, she gets kidnapped and locked up with her mother by James.
James then shoots Grace, and the bullet goes through her. June then uses a shard of glass to stab James in the neck. It’s later shown that both mother and daughter are safe, and Grace survived the gunshot wound.
Is Missing Movie Based on a True Story?
No, Missing isn’t based on a true story. It’s a work of fiction like the 2018 film, Searching. The story was written by Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty. Also, the screenplay was penned by Nick Johnson and Will Merrick. As such, it’s only meant to entertain and doesn’t emulate a real-life event.
The ending scene of June watching her story as a Netflix show is only meant to be a meta-reference rather than a hint to the fact that the movie was rooted in real life.
So what did you think of Missing?
Did the film use technology innovatively enough? Did you feel that there were plot holes in the film? Or was it a perfectly woven thriller full of unexpected twists and turns?
Let us know in the comments below.
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