Regal Films is best known for fielding horror movies during Metro Manila Film Festival and 2020 is no different as it releases its entry via “The Missing”.
Written and directed by Easy Ferrer, the film tells the story of Iris (Ritz Azul), a young architect who is assigned to redesign a 100-year old property in JAPAN. Iris, collaborates and reunites with ex-flame Job (Joseph Marco) to finish the project. Len (Miles Ocampo), is an apprentice who has a hidden agenda seeking to find out truth about her past in Japan. While they work on the architectural project, the three main characters encounter eerie experiences and uncover the mystery of the haunted place.
NARRATIVE: The flow of narrative most of the time jumps from one place to another. It loses its grip as it tells several subplots left and right. The momentum is a bit slow paced as its crescendo is established a bit too late for viewers to appreciate the film’s climax. I like the fresh storyline though as it features the missing people as the subject of scare and connects it to the haunted place. Azul's character Iris who often hallucinates due to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is an effective back story to build the connection of what will happen in Japan. Ferrer and the creative team show attempt to offer a fresh approach in tackling the violence that happened to missing people as the film’s central theme. The characterization of Iris, Job, Len and the Japanese characters could have been more solid though.
ACTORS: Ritz Azul, Joseph Marco try to be as natural as possible in portraying their characters but there were scenes that they appear so thin in showing the apt emotions. Marco is consistent in being monotonous in delivering
his lines as if he’s more conscious about his masculinity. His voice is
modulated all the time and sounds unnatural. His nuances are annoying. Azul has
her shining moments in the movie but sadly lacks consistency. There are scenes
that you can feel her grief and fear but there are those who I think she shows "wooden" acting. Miles Ocampo is very natural in portraying her character and
delivering her lines.
TECHNICALS: The technical and visual aspects have a huge potential
to be a horror breakthrough film. Kudos for the film in having Japan as a
backdrop. For me, it’s a delight to see a Pinoy horror film shot in Saga,Japan.
The musical scoring is solid in creating a scary feel in the film’s highlights
I like Ferrer’s directorial debut in the sense that the technical aspects are
above average for a freshman film director. The cinematography is crisp. The
production design in recreating the old, haunted place is believable as well.
The “gulat” factor in some scenes are effective too. There are scenes reminiscent
of a Jap, Thai or Korean horror movies.
I find The Missing ok horror movie.
I like it more than other Shake Rattle and Roll series that Regal Films is
well-known for. I can consider The Missing fresh and visually scary.
MY RATING: 7/10. Scary enough and entertaining.
ctto Regal Films for the layout.
