Mar. 19, 2009|South Korea|99 Min.|PG
Genre: Thriller
Description: Hyeon-jeong’s sister disappears, and she fears the worst. Using her sister’s cellphone, Hyeon-jeong discovers that her sister was last seen in a rural village. She travels there to search for her and seeks help from the local police station. However, due to the lack of evidence, the police refuse to assist. Hyeon-jeong then finds a witness who claims to have seen her sister near the home of an elderly man named Pan-kon. When she finally arrives at the man’s house, her worst fears materialize.
These days, it’s not uncommon to feel a sense of déjà vu when watching a new Asian horror film. Many of these films follow a recurring theme: the abduction of a young woman who is tortured and assaulted by a male perpetrator who acts purely out of malice. Missing follows this familiar premise, echoing the plots of numerous films that came before it.
From the outset, the story’s trajectory feels predictable. There’s the vulnerable female protagonist, the naive boyfriend who meets an early demise, and the villain with a sinister agenda. After being kidnapped, the victim is quickly subdued and left at the mercy of her captor. The film explores the motives and actions of the antagonist, though it often falls into repetitive and clichéd patterns seen in similar stories.
Cast director: Kim Sung-hong
Cast actor: Choo Ja-hyun, Moon Sung-keun, Jeon Se-hong, Oh Seong-soo, Nam Moon-chul, Hwang Eun-jeong
Original name: 실종