Missing is the new Netflix thriller that has been one of the most popular movies on the streaming platform since it premiered, and other are other great movies to watch after. The compelling film stars Storm Reid as June, a teenager who utilizes the full extent of her internet sleuthing abilities to try and locate her mother Grace (Nia Long). Grace had been vacationing in Colombia with her boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung) when her sudden disappearance made national news headlines.
While there’s been speculation that Missing is based on a true story, the fictional thriller was created as an original story by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian. Missing is a stand-alone sequel to another popular movie that was written by Chaganty and Ohanian which carries many similar themes and narrative approaches. The innovative use of technology in Missing contributes to the modern “screenlife” genre in which the entire story is told through the lens of a computer, phone, or camera screen that exists in the world of the story. Here are ten other great films that follow stories of missing persons or are in a similar genre.
10 Gone Girl
Gone Girl is a riveting 2014 psychological thriller directed by David Fincher. The film revolves around the disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) on her wedding anniversary. A missing person investigation opens up that begins to target Amy’s husband Nick (Ben Affleck) as the one responsible. Gone Girl was originally a best-selling novel by author Gillian Flynn. Its story dives into the complicated dynamics of Amy and Nick’s marriage which ultimately reveals dark secrets about Amy’s manipulative tactics. The impressive movie is full of twists that blur the lines between truth and deception, much like Missing.
9 Spree
Spree is a thrilling 2020 dark comedy directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko. The screenlife movie follows Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) a rideshare driver who is desperate to go viral on the internet. Kurt comes up with a twisted plan to become famous by live-streaming a series of murders in his car. He documents the killings of multiple unsuspecting passengers which successfully gains him online clout. The unique film explores the darker possibilities of social media obsession and the extreme lengths people could go to gain mass amounts of social media followers. Its satirical perspective on the need for social validation makes Spree a thought-provoking social commentary.
8 Prisoners
Prisoners is an intense and haunting 2013 thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve. The gripping yet devastating movie is about the horrifying reality of missing persons cases and centers on the emotional turmoil experienced by the families of the victims and the police investigators involved in the cases. Prisoners begins with the abrupt disappearance of two young girls on Thanksgiving. The father of one of the missing kids, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), goes to extreme lengths to find his daughter and her friend, believing the cops such as Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) aren’t doing enough to track them down.
7 Flightplan
Flightplan is a 2005 psychological thriller directed by Robert Schwentke. The exciting movie follows the story of a recently widowed aircraft engineer named Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) whose young daughter Julia (Marlene Lawston) has gone missing on an international flight from Berlin to New York. Kyle desperately searches the plane and asks for help but no one aboard appears to know anything about Julia’s disappearance. Flightplan is similar to Missing in its riveting and suspenseful plot about a family member who will stop at nothing to find their missing loved one.
6 Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone is a compelling 2007 crime drama directed by Ben Affleck based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. The movie follows two private investigators, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), who are determined to find a missing girl named Amanda McCready. The story begins when Amanda mysteriously disappears from her house in a working-class neighborhood in Boston. As the investigation unfolds, Patrick and Angie discover a world of corruption they could have never imagined that forces them to make tough choices under pressure, similar to June in Missing.
5 Host
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Host is a 2020 found footage horror film directed by Rob Savage. The movie gained popularity for its unique technological approach to filmmaking and its relevancy to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire film is told within one Zoom call, reflecting the surge in virtual meetings and socialization which became the new normal during the lockdowns. The story is about a group of friends who decide to hold a séance over Zoom with a spiritual medium. The group attempts to connect with the spirit world but accidentally invites a negative entity into their gathering, leading to a series of terrifying situations of paranormal activity.
4 The Girl On The Train
The Girl on the Train is a fascinating 2016 psychological thriller directed by Tate Taylor based on the best-selling novel by Paula Hawkins. The story revolves around Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) a struggling alcoholic who rides the daily train and becomes strangely obsessed with a couple she watches. Rachel’s observations of the couple lead to her witnessing a shocking event involving the woman Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett), which ultimately involves her in a hidden web of deception that endangers her. The suspense-filled story is similar to Missing in its themes of desperation to uncover the truth and a mysterious premise.
3 Unfriended
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Unfriended is an innovative 2014 horror film directed by Levan Gabriadze. The unique movie uses a classic found-footage style by utilizing webcams, messages, and screen recordings to tell its story which takes place entirely on a computer screen. The film follows a group of high school friends on a Skype call whose conversation takes a sinister turn when they start to be haunted by a mysterious evil presence. Narratively similar to Host, Unfriended was one of the first films to execute the inventive concept that eventually laid the foundation of the central elements in the screenlife genre.
2 Run
Run is an intense 2020 thriller directed by Aneesh Chaganty, one of the creators of Missing. The movie follows Diane Sherman (Sarah Paulson), a single mother who seems to be committed to caring for her daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen). Chloe is homeschooled and has a mobility disability that requires additional attention from Diane, but Chloe begins to suspect that her mother may not have her best interests at heart. Run shares very similar themes to Missing including the uncertainty of trust, psychological manipulation, and the lengths a parent can go to protect their secrets. Run focuses on a core dynamic between a mother and her daughter which is also on display in Missing.
1 Searching
Searching is the stand-alone prequel to Missing and is the best movie to watch after Missing. The movie is a 2018 mystery thriller written and directed by Chaganty which tells its suspenseful story entirely through the lens of modern technology, just like Missing. The roles are reversed in Searching, as a desperate father (John Cho) searches for his missing daughter. The movie cleverly features computer screens, surveillance footage, and social media platforms to deliver the narrative, a successful format that is replicated in Missing. It will be interesting to see whether Chaganty and Ohanian will plan to make a second sequel using the innovative technological storytelling devices shown in Searching and Missing.
