"Missing"
I had heard of the name
Costa-Gavras mentioned once before in an episode of Mystery Science Theater
3000. This was a reference I was unfamiliar with in the context that
it was given. I knew he was a director and that was about it. After
going to my favorite internet movie database, I found out that his film Missing
won an Oscar for Adapted Screenplay. While scrolling down the cast
list Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon were credited as portraying the main characters. I
considered both of them fine actors were who good at their job and earned their
paycheck. And that was I all I knew about Missing. I
went into the film expecting the unexpected. At the least I wanted a
solid screenplay and strong performances from the two leads.
Costa-Gavras does get sound performances from the two actors. More
importantly though, Missing's screenplay sheds light on a subject matter
that would make any United States government official squirm in their
seats.
In 1973 an unnamed South
American country (most likely Chile) is in the wake of a military coup.
Charles Horman (John Shea,) an American writer, has gone missing. His
wife, Beth (Spacek,) and father, Ed (Lemmon,) are terribly worried about
him. Is Charles in hiding? Or worse, dead? They go to the
country's U.S. embassy looking for answers. Receiving little to no
help from our government Beth and Ed go out on their own seeking the truth
about what happened. By piecing together notes from Charles's journal and
listening to tales from his friends and the locals, the two amateur
sleuths attempt to solve the mystery of their missing beloved. The evidence
they uncover leads to shocking and disturbing conclusions Beth and Ed could
never have imagined.
Missing is part political
thriller part detective story. The screenplay does a fine job of
balancing these two genres. There isn't necessarily a bunch of twists and
turns, but there is still a decent mystery to be solved. We have a
general idea of where this story is taking us but Costa-Gavras manages to keep
us on the edge of our seats. The political strife that the country is
going through in which the characters are placed is what makes this film
really interesting. With a curfew in effect and the streets
littered with dead bodies, Beth and Ed not only have to worry about
keeping their heads but also who are friends and who are foes.
What's even more concerning is way the U.S. embassy, yes our embassy, handles
this whole situation. Who are the true villains here?
The chemistry between Lemmon and
Spacek is quite good. They both have the same common goal but come from
completely different walks of life. Ed is a Christian Scientist and a man
of faith, with political views that are of the complete opposite of his
son. Beth shares the same ideals, morals, and political views as
her socialist husband. Charles plays an important role in each
of their lives. But how will Beth and Ed as the fightin' in-laws
come together and play key roles in each other’s lives? Lemmon's
character has the most changing to do. His stern mentality has to be
completely readjusted while staying in a foreign land. It's probably not
a good idea piss off the man wearing a military uniform who's is firing a
machine gun next to your face just because you find it annoying, as illustrated
in one scene.
Set to a beautiful, subtly
affecting score by Vangelis, Missing
takes us to a place that is far from paradise. The film shows us
intense images that evoke a powerful response. This is a place
of unrest where its citizens and visitors alike live in a constant state
of fear. Even though the events depicted in the film happened nearly
forty years ago its themes are unfortunately still resonant in
today's world. The mood and tone of Missing is certainly
unsettling and that was obviously Costa-Gavras's intent. Making the
audience uncomfortable in such a way without the use of graphic violence and
in your face gore/torture is something that today's filmmakers are
still trying to figure out. Missing is one of those films
that will leave you thinking long after the end credits have finished
because it did its job of getting inside your head and under your skin. This
is the type of picture that you and your friends will want to have a
serious discussion about afterwards. I have since looked up some
other works by Costa-Gavras and notice a reoccurring theme running through
them. I will eventually get around to knocking those out as well.
I think Missing was a good introduction to a director
whose world I am just starting to understand. Some may say that this film
is just a bunch of left-wing propaganda.
I say it’s just good filmmaking.
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