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Screen Rant is thrilled to present an exclusive first look at the trailer for Missing (known as Sagasu in Japanese), the newest project from director Shinzô Katayama. After kicking off his career with Tokyo! and Bong Joon Ho’s Mother, Katayama established himself as a filmmaker to watch with his directorial debut Siblings of the Cape. In Missing, he delves further into the human condition and the horrors that social afflictions like poverty can lead to.
Missing follows young Kaeda (Aoi Ito), whose father Santoshi (Jiro Sato) disappears without a trace one day. Before vanishing, he had told her he would find the serial killer “No Name” (Hiroya Shimizu) and collect the reward for his capture to escape their current debt-ridden existence. With no one to turn to and no real help from the local law enforcement, Kaeda must embark on the mission to save her father all alone.
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In Screen Rant‘s exclusive look at the Missing trailer, Kaeda’s desperate search for her father is on full display. Fearing for her father’s safety and out of other options, she sets out to find “No Name” herself and even dares to question potential suspects directly. But what starts off as a straightforward story soon becomes a twisted mystery that will leave even the audience questioning what they are seeing unfold.
More About Missing
Shinzô Katayama not only directed Missing, but he also co-wrote the screenplay with Kazuhisa Kotera and Ryô Takada, and his personal investment in the project bleeds into every frame. The questions his film poses are ones that many viewers will relate to, and they are particularly elegant in their execution. As seen in the trailer above, the tone and direction of Missing shifts at one point, with the line “it’s salvation, not murder” bringing up another vital theme. Who decides what a life is worth and when one should end theirs?
Already an official selection for several film festivals, such as Busan International Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, and Fantastic Fest, Missing is being distributed in the United States by Dark Star Pictures. Other recent and upcoming releases from the auteur-driven distribution company include the sports documentaries Kaepernick & America and War on the Diamond, as well as Filipino LGBTQ+ romance Gameboys: The Movie. Missing has a runtime of 124 minutes and is and is not rated.
Next: Missing Review: Crime Drama Is Intense, Twisty Slow-Burn
Missing will open theatrically on November 4 at select theaters in NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cleveland, and other major cities. It will also be available On Deman on November 18 and on Blu-ray on December 6.