‘The Missing’ (2023) Review – The Ghost Of Memories

If there still happens to be anyone who rejects the idea that animation is cinema, you might want to direct their attention to Carl Papa’s new film, The Missing (Iti Mapukpukaw). It is the Phillipines’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature, and it takes a significantly unique approach to its emotionally complicated subject matter.

The film uses rotoscope animation and is spoken mostly in Tagalog. It follows the story of Eric (Carlo Aquino), a mute who has to write his responses on a dry-erase board. He’s also animated without a mouth. This choice seems a bit on the nose at first, but as the film goes on, this concept gets further explored as we examine what has happened to Eric and why his life is the way it is. 

We come to learn that there is an alien that is constantly after Eric. The alien comes into his mind and disrupts his life and relationships in major ways. It causes him to hallucinate and blackout, sometimes for hours. This becomes especially problematic when Eric begins spending time with Carlo (Gio Gahol), whom he feels romantically interested in. But every time he tries to get close to him, the alien comes for him and ruins his plans. The alien has also kept him at a distance from his mother, Rosalinda (played by the ever-fabulous Dolly De Leon), whom we come to find knew a very different Eric when he was younger until something changed. 

Papa touches on deep themes throughout this film, such as psychological and physical abuse, repressed memories, childhood trauma, and molestation. Using animation as the vehicle for telling this story was the correct choice as it allowed for more creative visual choices that wouldn’t have been achievable in live-action without a much bigger budget. Each time Eric interacts with the alien, he literally loses a piece of himself. Whether it’s his eye, one of his ears, or even his genitals. It’s the visual representation of all that is taken away from you as your mental stability begins to fade away, or as we come to learn later in the film when you’re running away from your past.

During early moments in the film, you wonder if the visions and attacks that Eric is enduring are really happening, but as the film goes on, and there are some flashbacks to his childhood, it begins to sink in that there’s something deeper and darker going on here. The alien, the blackouts, and even Eric’s silence are all related to an early childhood trauma that he has kept to himself for a long time. Despite its relatively short runtime, the film can go over themes a bit repetitively and it can hurt one’s appreciation of the film. Once you understand where Eric’s mental torment is coming from, it can feel as if the film drags towards its resolution.

But its resolution is a powerful one. We see Eric reclaim the parts of himself that he’d been missing and is finally able to confront the secrets of his past. It’s the kind of story you don’t see animation tell often, and it is often heavy-handed in its messaging. Still, it’s necessary in this medium, so that the importance and significance are not lost on its audience. The Missing certainly isn’t a kid’s animated movie, but it is one that anyone who has been in this situation can relate to. The hurt and betrayal you feel, the guilt you carry, and the fear that won’t allow you to speak to anyone about it. It can be debilitating, but the hope displayed in this film is that with the support of family and those who love you, you can reclaim what has been missing all along.

The Missing is the Philippines’ official submission for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards. The date for the official U.S. release is still being determined. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjWeTdhQrrg]