The Missing

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The Missing

2023,

1h 30m,

Animation/

Drama/

LGBTQ+/

Sci-Fi

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Watchlist

100%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

100%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

100%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

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.

Hayley Croke

Loud and Clear Reviews

Oct 20, 2024

3/5

The Missing is experimental yet sensitive in the way it deals with the impact of sexual abuse and trauma cycles...It’s a film that will make you more empathetic and a film that will make you understand the amount of strength it takes to be vulnerable.

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Paul Emmanuel Enicola

The Asian Cut

Jul 4, 2024

4.5/5

The Missing sheds light on the unspeakable effects of trauma and grief. But more importantly, it underscores the vital role a healthy dose of support system can play in helping someone to navigate their journey toward vanquishing their personal monsters.

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Kristian M. Lin

Fort Worth Weekly

Mar 18, 2024

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.

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Olivia Popp

Zippy Frames

Feb 6, 2024

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.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Jan 3, 2024

7/10

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.

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Dec 21, 2023

4/5

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

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Carl Joseph Papa

Director

Carlo Aquino

Voice

Gio Gahol

Voice

Dolly De Leon

Voice

Carl Joseph Papa

Screenwriter

Geoderic Lomuntad

Producer

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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: Geoderic Lomuntad, Dan Villegas
Screenwriter: Carl Joseph Papa
Production Co: Cinemalaya Foundation, Project 8
Genre: Animation, Drama, LGBTQ+, Sci-Fi
Original Language: Filipino
Runtime: 1h 30m

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