Review: ‘We Are the Missing' (2020)

The story manages to take many twists and turns among its run-time without feeling too contrived or needless. For those of you familiar with mockumentaries, this will certainly be comparable to any great film within the genre. Perhaps, even more exciting

★★★½

NR - Horror, Mockumentary (103 minutes)

“The scariest nightmares are the ones you can wake up to in ‘We Are The Missing’; a drama/horror pseudo-documentary following The Madisons’ desperate search for their missing daughter.”

— Official Synopsis

We are just starting to get into the spooky season. I know, I know — we are technically in the month of September still. But hey, I believe Halloween should last all year long. With more and more horror news coming out daily, we will likely see a rise in viewership among horror titles. And what do you know, we have just the movie for you!

From director Andrew DJ Robinson, comes a new horror mockumentary: We Are the Missing. Centered around a family whose daughter is missing, the film approaches the topic of prolonged grief with grace. Provided that the film is covering very topical subject matter, especially of late, it doesn’t feel like a cheap tactic to simply scare an audience; rather, it uses that urgency to leverage the viewer and further develop the character’s interpersonal relationships. On a $300 budget, you would be amiss to think that there wasn't an incredible amount of hard work that went into making this film. Luckily all of that hard work does lead to a relatively enjoyable experience, even while there are some minor flaws that stop the film from reaching its full potential; namely monetary restrictions (as with most great indie films) and, to some extent, the script.

The evolution of plot in Robinson’s We Are the Missing is exceptional. The story manages to take many twists and turns among its run-time without feeling too contrived or needless. What starts as a missing persons story grows into something much more sinister. I assure you, there will be times in the film when you will questions whether or not what you’re seeing is real — or if it’s just a movie. Actually, its genius in its aim to signal one type of story and then slowly peel back the layers until the viewer is descending into madness with the characters, and it commits wholeheartedly to doing so. Frankly, it might not work for some — but the execution was spotless for me. Transitions are, mostly, smoothed enough that it never feels too jarring when the story pivots between the different characters. Overall, though, the concept of mass hysteria that the movie hopes to evoke from its viewers is successfully planted.

For those of you familiar with mockumentaries, this will certainly be comparable to any great film within the genre. Perhaps, even more exciting if you’re a fan of horror. And while the dialogue can often miss the mark, the film is funny in pleasurably dark, twisted ways. At first, this might catch you off guard — as it did for me — but rest assured that by the end of the film it will feel consistent. In part, the accreditation should be given to the actors who all put in believable performances despite the madness of the script; toeing the line perfectly between the cheesiness of the writing and the more emotional beats. Maissa Houri and Mark Templin, specifically, as the divorced parents of the missing girl, are two that firmly command the screen. However, the support from the rest of the cast really does round out We Are the Missing quite well.

The good news is that you can watch We Are the Missing, yourself — for free, might I add! Check it out on YouTube or using the embedded link below.