Withdrawn animation artist Eric lives under the loving supervision of his supportive mother. He has a crush on his kindly colleague Carlo, an affection he doesn’t dare voice. Nor can he, as Eric cannot speak and interacts with others using a whiteboard that hangs from his neck. But when Eric is asked by his mother to check in on his estranged uncle Rogelio, he is wrenched out of his isolation and confronted with repressed childhood memories and sinister extraterrestrial beings.

Filipino filmmaker Carl Joseph E. Papa’s absorbing, animated psychological drama The Missing tells a highly personal tale of trauma and reconciliation. The film’s composite visual style, blending rotoscoping and traditional 2D animation, both retains the subtlety of actors’ performances and heightens the expressivity of their physical environment. More importantly, it allows the viewer to experience the world as Eric does, in defiance of conventional logic and true to his changing emotional state.

Despite its sophisticated approach, The Missing is a transparent work that does not rely on narrative twists or eye-popping spectacle to hold attention. Even as it borrows elements of sci-fi and fantasy, the film remains focused on Eric’s inner life, tracing his journey from alienation towards healing and self-realisation.

– Srikanth Srinivasan