The Missing

2023

1h 30m

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Drama

Animation

LGBTQ+

List

100%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Eric lives a rather normal life working as an animator in the Philippines He has a nice but dirty apartment, a good paying job, and a guy he likes. One thing glaring about Eric though is he does not have a mouth, literally. One day, he receives a call from his mother Rosalinda, asking him to check up on his seemingly lost uncle. Only to find out that his uncle has been dead for days. While still in shock, a familiar alien arrives wanting to take Eric away from Earth. The Missing is a Filipino-Ilocano rotoscope animated film that follows Eric's life as it twists and turns after the arrival of the familiar alien, and the death of his uncle; both of which triggers Eric to remember his past and untangle his memories.

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JR C

First of all, I would like to use this window of opportunity to tell those who went through the same dark path as Eric's that my thoughts are with them. I can only imagine the pain from scratching old wounds and scabs while watching this. I came to watch it blind though I witnessed all its success at last year's Cinemalaya until its submission to the Oscars, so I was surprised by its sensitive subject. As someone who didn't share the same experience only found what worked for me on the surface that made me give it 4.5 stars: Aquino and De Leon's performances were striking under the rotoscope animation (I think this is my first film in this animation style) and how metaphor and fantasy were deployed to push the message. All these stars I gave are for the things that worked for me as an audience. I hope we finally see the day the Philippines takes the stage at the Oscars. More importantly, I hope we get more films as important as this but well-consulted and with a more thoughtful approach. That would make a more satisfying cinematic achievement.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

Full Review

Arcel Bryce M

There was movie plot like this before but how it was animated and how the story was told was so original. Worth watching!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/21/23

Full Review

Mae M

Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) is one of the best contemporary Filipino films of all time. With the right amount of creativity, gentleness and care, the film successfully delivers a powerful message in tackling such a sensitive material. Seeing this in the big screen during Cinemalaya 2023 is a delight and heartbreak. I have never bawled my eyes out at a film's last scene until the credits roll out like that before.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/19/23

Full Review

Owen W

The Missing, the Philippines' submission for Best International Feature Film, is an impressive and hard-hitting film that portrays life following years of childhood trauma. Director Carl Joseph Papa's filmmaking and storytelling choices are executed exceptionally well, crafting a powerful story from the beginning to the end credits. Highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

Full Review

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Carl Joseph Papa

Director

Carlo Aquino

Eric

Gio Gahol

Carlo

Dolly De Leon

Rosalinda

Christela Marquez

Precy

Jeremy F. Mendoza

Young Eric

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Anton Bitel

Projected Figures

Carl Joseph E. Papa’s alien abduction story uses its hyperreal animated form as the mysterious skin for unspeakable subtext

Apr 27, 2024

Full Review

Kristian M. Lin

Fort Worth Weekly

The best animated film of 2023 was Carl Joseph E. Papa’s Filipino entry that switches between sophisticated rotoscoping and Sesame Street-level kids’ drawings.

Mar 18, 2024

Full Review

Olivia Popp

Zippy Frames

Papa’s inventive use of form is one of the film’s successes, where the removal of body parts can be experienced by the viewer quite viscerally — for him, the loss is not metaphorical.

Feb 6, 2024

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Carl Joseph Papa mixes rotoscoping and hand-drawn animation in a story that at first seems to be about space aliens but turns out to be about a much more earth-bound horror.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 3, 2024

Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Combining clever ideas with a deep current of emotional honesty, this is an unusual and powerful film.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 21, 2023

Full Review

Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

“Missing” is an excellent film that manages to reinvigorate the genre through its contextual uniqueness, while remaining pleasant to the eye from beginning to end.

Rated: 7.5

Dec 17, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Eric lives a rather normal life working as an animator in the Philippines He has a nice but dirty apartment, a good paying job, and a guy he likes. One thing glaring about Eric though is he does not have a mouth, literally. One day, he receives a call from his mother Rosalinda, asking him to check up on his seemingly lost uncle. Only to find out that his uncle has been dead for days. While still in shock, a familiar alien arrives wanting to take Eric away from Earth. The Missing is a Filipino-Ilocano rotoscope animated film that follows Eric's life as it twists and turns after the arrival of the familiar alien, and the death of his uncle; both of which triggers Eric to remember his past and untangle his memories.

Director: Carl Joseph Papa
Producer: Antoinette Jadaone, Nessa S. Valdellon, Dan Villegas
Screenwriter: Carl Joseph Papa, Carl Joseph Papa
Production Co: Cinemalaya Foundation, Project 8
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Animation, LGBTQ+
Original Language: Tagalog
Runtime: 1h 30m