Director: Carl Joseph Papa
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Starring: Carlo Aquino, Dolly De Leon, Gio Gahol, Christela Marquez, Jeremy F. Mendoza, Jeydah Cawed, Joshua Cabiladas
Following up his previous features, 2018's Paglisan and 2015's Manang Biring, writer/director Carl Joseph Papa delivers another film where animation is utilized to memorably realize a heartbreakingly human topic. The Missing is a story that follows Eric (Carlo Aquino), an animator who leads a fairly typical life. There is just one thing that sets him apart; he is missing a mouth.
One day, he receives a call from his mother, Rosalinda (Dolly De Leon), asking that he checks in on his lonesome uncle who won't return her calls. Accompanied by his co-worker, Carlo (Gio Gahol), Eric discovers that his uncle has been dead for several days. This horrifying discovery results in childhood memories resurfacing, which coincides with the return of an alien who once abducted Eric, promising to finish what they previously started.
Through the utilization of digital rotoscope animation, Papa utilizes a fantastical lens to tell a story of very human struggles. This is seen with how Eric is visualized with no mouth, conveying his struggle to open up to others about something monumental that he is grappling with. Carlo Aquino delivers a stunning portrayal through facial expressions and physicality, capturing the character's desire to open up to others that is hindered by his struggle of finding the words to explain everything.
Aiding him throughout the journey is Carlo, the co-worker Eric has a crush on, who responds to Eric's struggles with patience and understanding. It is easy to root for this sweet pairing when they are so charming together, such as when they bond by listing their favourite examples of specific topics. Also offering support is Rosalinda, the loving mother who is worried about her son. After her scene-stealing role in Triangle of Sadness, Dolly De Leon delivers exemplary work as the mother full of love. She understands that her son must take things in his own time, and also becomes the biggest cheerleader for his pairing with Carlo.
The animated style allows for imaginative realizations of what Eric is going through, such as his resurfacing memories from childhood being visualized in childish scribbles. Pieces are erased to highlight aspects that he is not yet ready to remember, while his present struggles are emphasized by him losing more parts of his body. Yet, through all these flights of fancy, Papa never forgets about the emotional core that anchors this film.
The expressions of Eric's imagination are a reflection of what methods he took to cope with what was happening, with creepy undertones highlighting the horrifying reality leaking through without getting crass or graphic. What is depicted grapples with trauma through a lens established since childhood, and leads to a path of healing that promises a better future laying ahead. Full of heart realized through animation and imagination, The Missing is a stunning work about finding ones voice.
The Missing made its Canadian Premiere at Fantasia Festival 2024
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