A loved one's disappearance is one of the most terrifying things that can happen to someone. In movies, this horrible situation has made for some of the most thrilling and tragic films ever made. For anyone, the disappearance of a child or partner is an extremely distressing situation and movies explore characters on the edge of their own sanity as they desperately try to locate the missing.
While many films use this storyline, each are told in unique ways, from different perspectives, and filled with twists and turns. Most of the time, the missing people are recovered in the end, but audiences can't seem to get enough of following along with the main character as they witness how exactly the missing will be found.
Changeling (2008)
Inspired by true events, Changeling follows Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), a mother who loses her son. Her prayers are answered when he's returned home alive, however, the problem is, he isn't her son. Christine claims her son is still missing yet the cops consider her delusional so she's forced to take matters into her own hands.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Changeling is a very different missing persons movie in that while the film's crux is about abduction, a large focus is on Collins, who claims she's been returned the wrong son in an age where men did not listen to women, but instead disempowered them. For her performance, Jolie was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.
Winter's Bone (2010)
Based on the novel, Winter's Bone features an amazing star-making performance from Jennifer Lawrence that put her at the top of the A-list. Set in the Ozarks, Lawrence plays Ree, a teenager who runs her household but is unfortunately about to lose it and her father has gone missing. So, she sets out on a journey through the Missouri winter to find him in order to save the house. Along the way, she has to encounter and question unsavory characters about his whereabouts.
Jennifer Lawrence gives an unforgettable performance that would garner her an Oscar nomination. Director Debra Granik, who had previously helmed the indie classic Down To The Bone, directs a startling, unglamorous, and horrific film that spotlights a world many viewers have never seen before.
Breakdown (1997)
A taut thriller from director Jonathan Mostow, Breakdown follows Jeff (Kurt Russell), a man who loses his wife after their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere while on a cross-country road trip. What follows is a frantic search for her in a town full of people who may have a hand in her disappearance.
Breakdown's nightmare scenario is so nerve-wracking that audiences watch from the edge of their seats. For anyone who has traveled cross-country, Breakdown presents a terrifying situation no traveler would ever want to find themselves in. Critics and audiences agreed Breakdown is supremely suspenseful and perhaps scary enough to make them want to fly next time they take a trip.
Flightplan (2005)
Jodie Foster gives a commanding performance in Flightplan, the story of a mother's search for her missing daughter. While the plot is nothing new—it is loosely based on an old urban legend—the setting is, as the action takes place aboard a plane midflight. The crew claims Foster's character never brought a child onboard, forcing her to doubt her own sanity.
In the tradition of movies like Gaslight, Flightplan depicts a mother's courage to stand up against those who doubt her. With everyone against her, the audience roots for her to find her daughter despite the disappearance occurring in a seemingly improbable place.
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Directed by Ben Affleck, in his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone follows a Boston private investigator (Casey Affleck), as he desperately tries to find a young girl and return her to her single mother (Amy Ryan). The case forces him to investigate the unsavory characters in his own neighborhood and even his fellow cops.
Based on the novel, Gone Baby Gone is a thrilling mystery, full of twists, turns, and surprises all deftly handled by talented Affleck. Critics and audiences lauded the film and praised Affleck as a director. For her performance, Amy Ryan received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
Frantic (1988)
While at a conference in Paris, a doctor's (Harrison Ford) wife is abducted and now the worried husband must navigate through a city he doesn't know, a language he doesn't speak, and contend with its criminal underworld in order to try and find his missing wife.
Directed by Roman Polanksi, Frantic is an enthralling and engrossing thriller that takes audiences on an exotic mystery. Ford is at the top of his game and gives one of his best performances in what is one of Polanski's greatest films.
Searching (2018)
Using the unique approach of taking place entirely through a computer screen, Searching follows one father's (John Cho) journey to find his missing daughter by using her computer. Seemingly the next step in the evolution of found-footage films, Searching's story is told via websites, files, and video chats on the missing girl's computer.
Shot various ways, including an iPhone, Searching premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it, despite trepidation regarding the film's possibly gimmicky concept, was a huge hit. Critics and audiences praised it for not just the technique it employed but for its effective, engaging, and thrilling script.
Missing (1982)
Based on the true story, Missing follows a father (Jack Lemmon) and his daughter-in-law (Sissy Spacek) who must work together despite their political differences in order to find his son and her husband who disappeared during an American-backed coup in Chile.
In order to find their loved one, they must enter a dangerous foreign world, filled with cover-ups and political intrigue. Featuring stellar performances by Lemmon and Spacek, Missing is a gripping thriller that doesn't shy away from criticizing the American government. The film was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture and winning for Best Adapted screenplay.
Prisoners (2013)
In Prisoners, Hugh Jackman's Keller is living a parent's worst nightmare when his daughter and her friend are seemingly abducted. After the police release their only suspect, Keller takes matters into his own hands to try and find the kids using whatever means possible, including some pretty disturbing methods.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Prisoners is a gripping thriller that features a great cast including Jake Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis. Lacking any scenes involving sunlight, Prisoners is a dark, dirty, depressing journey into the psyche of a man willing to test his morality in order to save his child.
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Considered the quintessential missing-person movie, The Lady Vanishes follows passengers aboard a train who seek to find a missing woman that many onboard claim to have never existed. The film was expertly crafted by master director Alfred Hitchcock and remains one of his most suspenseful and thrilling films.
Lady Vanishes was so successful that Hollywood came calling for Hitchcock and he would make his next films in the United States. Like the setting, the film moves like an express train that doesn't let up on tension until the finale.