‘The Missing’ tells the story of Irish (Ritz Azul), an architect who develops posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after she had lost her younger sister in a kidnapping incident.
Thinking that this is her chance to recollect herself and pick up where she has left off, Irish flies to Japan to join her colleague and ex-boyfriend Job (Joseph Marco) on a restoration project of a century-old house in Karatsu, Saga.
What happens to Irish on the said trip will definitely change her, but not necessarily for the better.
The story itself is intriguing but why is it a must-watch movie in MMFF? Here are the reasons:
The only horror movie in this year’s entry
With the MMFF 2020 nearing its launch, Filipinos expect a family-oriented list of entries. However, ‘The Missing’ is a horror film and the only one of its genre to ever be included in the official list for the film festival.
The trailer is enough to give you a heart attack
The teaser for the movie gives you enough sneak peek at what awaits those interested to watch the movie. The jump scares, the eerie feeling, the creepiness, everything that humans will get scared of is shown in the trailer, making horror fanatics and movie-goers intrigued about how the story will unfold right before their eyes as they watch the full-length film.
The movie takes place in Japan where it is creepy in its own right
The film is shot in Saga, Japan, a place where the genre of the movie is suited. The film took place during autumn so the leaves were all bloody red, adding an extra layer of creepiness to the movie. The country is rich in horror stories and boasts a lot of locations perfect for horror movies.
The location is the 150-year-old ancestral home called Maeda Residence in the small seaside city of Imari. It is also believed to be haunted as the caretakers warned the movie’s crew to perform purification rites before shooting and that there were areas that are off-limits during the night—the perfect place for ‘The Missing’.
Characters are stoic
Just like any other horror movies, ‘The Missing’ relied heavily on creepy effects and sounds, adding the scary ambiance that the movie is bringing. However, what sets apart the movie is that they were still able to live normal lives even if they are pestered by ghosts. This is unusual in scary films that once the characters were in a haunted house, the entire focus of the move will be shifted to the haunting. Here, the character is less fidgety, showing that they have other important things to do rather than be bothered by horrific things.
It cites the original versions of The Ring and The Grudge and is incorporated with Philippine horror
Before ‘The Ring‘ and ‘The Grudge’ got their Hollywood adaptations, their original versions were scary as hell. This is where ‘The Missing‘ is incorporated. The movie is also considered by the director, Easy Ferrer, to be J-horror as it has the same characteristics like sensibilities, visuals, scare tactics, story flow, and acting that are different from traditional Western horror representation, making it pretty much like where it was inspired.
Inspired by PTSD and the height of the Ampatuan Massacre
The movie, besides battling external horrors, also battle internal ones as the director incorporated the movie’s story to his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He also wrote the script during the Ampatauan Massacre where he shared that he was traumatized by such a horrific event.
According to Ferrer, the plot was inspired by the missing journalists and victims of violence against media men. He had this idea to revise such a tragic event into a Japanese style horror film.
The very first horror movie of Director Easy Ferrer
Easy Ferrer will showcase his creativity in this film as this is his first-ever horror film under Regal Films. This will be the biggest challenge towards the director’s career as we will get to see what kind of horror movie has he come up with.
A film under Regal Film, the king of Philippine horror
One interesting thing to know that Filipinos should anticipate in this horror film is that it is under Regal Films, the one behind the ‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’ franchise. This will be a moment of truth whether ‘The Missing’ will surpass its predecessors, or not.
Actress Ritz Azul’s own depiction of her character
We will be seeing a different Ritz Azul in her character in the movie ‘The Missing’. The reason is that she totally relates to the PTSD-like movie since her mother also suffered the same kind of depression. In order to give justice to her character, she channeled her own mother’s situation.
Watch ‘The Missing‘ on December 25 at the video platform Upstream. The movie directed by Easy Ferrer stars Joseph Marco, Ritz Azul, and Miles Ocampo.
