For those in North America, if you search for “The Missing” in Google, you might mistakenly get the 2003 western/thriller - not what we’re looking for. Revise your search to add the release year of the film at hand and you’ll get results relating to the sequel to screenlife thriller Searching, an exceptional follow up indeed, but still not the film we’re looking for. In some “2024” searches, you’ll get results about a 16 minute short film. Suffice to say, The Missing isn’t necessarily a stand-out title for a film - especially for a film as remarkable as what we have in this stand-out directorial debut from Carl Joseph Papa.

In The Missing - Iti Mapukpukaw as its titled in its native Filipino language, procuring the correct search results we’re looking for - reality collides with science fiction as a young man struggles to process trauma. Upon checking in on his uncle, this young man, Eric, encounters a UFO with an alien that proceeds to interfere with his daily life. What we’re offered in The Missing is a beautifully animated, emotionally gripping film.

The Missing toggles between two time periods in our protagonist’s life presented in two different animation styles. We’re introduced to Eric in a rotoscope animated present day. Here, he’s a young and mute yet self sufficient animator - and oddly enough, he’s missing his mouth. Regardless, Eric frequently accepts video calls from his mom and has striked up a blossoming relationship with his colleague, Carlo.

Periodically, the narrative jumps back in time to Eric as a child, with his mouth, in a more rudimentary style of animation, sometimes even with details missing from the scene. Between these two toggling narratives, we piece together what happened to Eric, why he struggles with the trauma that’s becoming increasingly disruptive of his everyday life, and how the people who care about him help him through it.

Really, it’s these characters that form the great value in the substance of this film. Dolly De Leon (a highlight in Triangle of Sadness and also starring in Sundance premiered/SIFF selected film Ghostlight) plays Eric’s video calling mother, Rosalinda. Though her screen time is minimal, De Leon still holds an impactful and prominent place in this story. Eric’s developing romantic interest, Carlo played by Gio Gahol, also plays a significant part in keeping The Missing an endearing tale. Authentically injecting emotional value into a film can be difficult, but the chemistry that develops between Carlo and Eric is the kind of substance I hope to find in films that move me emotionally.

But ultimately, it’s Carlo Aquino’s Eric juggling his various physical abnormalities and sci-fi illusions that makes this story so compelling. Without his mouth (and eventually other anatomy appendages) we are left to interpret what Eric is losing under the weight of the trauma he’s dealing with through the events that transpire, and Aquino is exceptional at conveying those feelings and emotions without dialog. Much of his communication is through writing on a white board he keeps around his neck, but is supplemented with sign language and body language - a limitation that actually enhances his interactions with other characters.

The Missing is a standout animated feature worth giving a watch. Admittedly in the end, what we have with this film isn’t the most original story, but that should not take away from the significance of the subject matter or how this film is presented. The Missing is so tender and heartfelt that it’s hard to not admire the heart that’s embedded in the telling of this story. To give a sign of approval or affirmation, Eric often gestures an assured thumbs up. I, enthusiastically, shall do the same for my approval of this film.