The Thriller-Mystery Missing is a continuation of director Aneesh Chaganty's first two feature films Searching (2018) and Run (2020), with many references to the prequels. Missing is set in Los Angeles in the Summer of 2022, where, years after her father's death, Storm Reid's character June is coping with her mother, Grace, portrayed by Nia Long, going on vacation to Colombia with her boyfriend, Kevin. It turns out June had reason to worry as Grace never returns from her trip, sending June on an online search for any clues about what happened to her mom.
Despite seeking help from Agent Park, June takes matters into her own hands with assistance from her best friend, Veena. Like Searching, the film uses technology such as laptops, cell phones, apple watches, and social media to take viewers through the story. It plays upon how well Gen Z has become at using the internet to solve mysteries since they're the first generation to grow up with so much access to it. While the film is a standalone sequel, and viewers do not have to see Searching or Run to understand it, there are still many Easter Eggs connecting it to the prequels.
All 3 Movies Are Thrillers From Aneesh Chaganty
Director, screenwriter, and producer Aneesh Chaganty is the mastermind behind all three thriller films, making it easy to connect their stories with hidden Easter Eggs throughout Missing. While Chaganty wrote and directed the first two films, Searching and Run, he came up with the story for Missing but passed the torch to Will Merrick and Nick Johnson for screenwriting and directing, the directors who did the editing for Chaganty's first two films. Since editing is a major part of the movies, especially Searching, as almost everything takes place on the computer, Merrick and Johnson had a great idea of how to work with Missing.
The two honored Chaganty by dropping several hints to his first two films, making it clear they exist in the same universe. They utilized June's laptop in the same way Searching was told mainly through David Kim and his daughter Margot Kim's laptops. While they were able to make Missing their own and add their unique style of directing, they didn't stray too far from Chagnanty's vision, which helped viewers recognize how closely related the three movies are.
Missing Reveals The Fates Of Run’s Characters
Missing may hold a much closer relationship with Searching, but it also has a subtle nod to Run. The 2020 film starring American Horror Story's Sarah Paulson as Diane Sherman connects itself to Searching early on when Diane's daughter Chloe Sherman uses her laptop, revealing an advertisement with a stock model named Hannah, who viewers met in Searching when Detective Rosemary Vick's son Robert Vick used her photo to talk to Margot online. A reference to Run then appears in the newest film.
During a news report in Missing, a news ticker appears on the screen revealing that Diane has escaped from the correction facility she was put in at the end of Run. While this doesn't directly play into Missing's story, it gives fans an update on the previous film and even sets up an intriguing story for a sequel if the filmmakers want to go in that direction. The news ticker may also be foreshadowing as, by the end of Missing, viewers have learned that Kevin and June's father, James, were both in prison and met each other while serving time.
Missing’s Fake True Crime Series Depicts Searching’s David & Margot Kim Story
From the beginning of Missing, viewers get an idea of how closely related it is to Searching when June is watching a fictional Netflix Docuseries called Unfiction. The episode she's watching is about Margot's disappearance and how her father, David was able to find her. The scene acts as an Easter Egg for the prequel and sets viewers up for what's to come. By the end of the film, Grace's story ends up as an episode of Unfiction, and June realizes just how inaccurate those types of shows can be.
Margot and Grace's disappearances both ending up on Unfiction show how closely related the stories are. Where Searching follows David determined to figure out what happened to his daughter, so he can bring her home, Missing flips the script. This time the daughter is searching for her parent. However, both stories are focused on a single parent living with their child and the complexity of that dynamic. The beginnings of the movies even feature home videos depicting the other parent before their death, even though viewers later find out June's father never actually died.
Chaganty set out to create three films that take place in the same universe while being able to stand on their own, and he did an impeccable job. The many hints and references each film contains to the other help each story intertwine with the one that came before it. While anyone who hasn't seen Searching and Run can still enjoy Missing, understanding the references makes the viewing experience more exciting and adds to the many moments of foreshadowing. Merrick and Johnson's directorial debut with Missing did not disappoint and may just earn them the opportunity to direct another film in the universe if they choose to.