REVIEW: We Are The Missing (2020)

Hundreds of thousands of people go missing every year. Some choose to run away, like the “evaporating people” of Japan, while others are unfortunately taken by others. Some are involved in accidents, and then there are ones who just disappear. We Are The Missing tries to give insight into the grief, loss, and confusion of those close to missing people. Done in a faux documentary style, Andrew J. D. Robinson’s We Are The Missing gives us an intimate look into a community dealing with a mystery, along with all the twists and turns that go with it.

We start off with the disappearance of Riley Madison. Fun and loving daughter, her story reads like many we’ve heard in news stories before. Riley’s parents and friends are interviewed and we learn about her life up until that point. Besides a few off-sounding stories (pertaining to her childhood imaginary friend “Mikey”), we don’t get a clear answer to where she is or could have gone. But then her parents disappear too. And her friend. And many, many other people in the town. Nothing makes sense as we’re shown clips of affected citizens describing what is happening to them — the same story over and over.

I don’t particularly find very many movies scary anymore. The ones I do are films that are based on something real or that could possibly be real; many of those are shot documentary-style. It’s a smart way to instantly form that attachment to a character because you can empathize with them. It’s also a smart way to introduce backstory, new characters, and form one cohesive timeline without shoving it down the audience’s throat with exposition. We Are The Missing does just that; as we watch people tell their stories, we put together what is happening around their town and the true breadth of the issue. Is it shared madness, or is there something more sinister going on?

And that’s why this movie is so good. Usually we get an inkling of something gone wrong, and we follow that to the end. But I don’t think that’s realistic when something so big is happening to an entire city. Exactly as it is in We Are The Missing, we’re met with many different views and theories of what everyone might be experiencing. “Mikey” looks to be the main antagonist. But then we hear about ghosts from billions of people that lived before us all coming out at once. Many of the victims displayed changes in mood prior so disappearing; perhaps they left on their own free will. Some people experience night terrors that resemble the alien encounters in The Fourth Kind — it could be aliens, or demons for that matter. No one really knows. And we see this happen in real life with conspiracy theories and tales about cryptids. It’s not knowing for sure what makes everything so feel uneasy.

Unfortunately, that many possibilities could be a bad thing too, depending on what you like. To me, the disappearances suddenly stopping left more questions than answers. What really happened? Did anyone resurface? Why are we not hearing about Mikey and now hearing about Mackenzie (and moreso, why is she appearing more often than Mikey did)? It’s a little annoying to not get a clear ending — that said, it’s all part of the realistic nature of the film. Sometimes we just don’t get clear answers and we’re forced to live with it, waiting until the next time it happens.

We Are The Missing is a prime example of how far you can make your money stretch when you have a set goal and pure willpower. Robinson’s inconceivably low budget of $300 (all out of pocket and solely for food and Uber/bus fare) got us a well put-together film that looks a hell of a lot more expensive than most other low-budget films. There is true strength in storytelling when you can surpass the lack of resources and make a feature-length film for literal pennies. Even if the story left me hanging in the end, there are still other aspects that I not only respect but extremely enjoyed; for example, when learning about Riley and Mackenzie’s fondness for writing horror films, we see a montage of titles for movies I would pay an arm and a leg to actually see:

• Clothes: A New Brand of Terror
• I Don’t Know What It Is But It’s Got A Machete
• Mars Needs Your Bones (with sequels!)

And there were a ton more… Note to Robinson — make these immediately!

As I’ve said in other indie and low-budget movies, that’s something we don’t get enough in horror — or movies in general. Details like that are so important and appreciated.

We Are The Missing is a story that could happen to any of us, whether it’s an actual disappearance, death of a friend or parent, or just not knowing where to go in life. We’re left confused and wanting a way out, or at least an answer to the issue. In a way, this movie is cathartic to see others experience these feelings too, even if their problems are supernatural in nature. For a low-budget movie, it does have its problems, but it’s surprisingly well-made despite that; had I not known it only cost $300 to make, I would have thought it was way more. Andrew J. D. Robinson’s We Are The Missing is worth a watch or two between all the gore and jumpscares we’re used to. So take a breather, watch, and let your mind wander with the possibilities that are presented to you.

Give We Are The Missing a watch, and browse its IMDB info for fun facts about the film.

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