Combining traditional 2D animation with rotoscoped footage ala Richard Linklater’s Waking Life, Carl Joseph E. Papa’s The Missing (Iti mapukpukaw) looks beautiful, while beneath its colourful surface, a much darker story packs a powerful punch.
Eric (Carlo Aquino) is a young computer animator, working long hours with Carlos (Gio Gahol). Eric is mute—he literally does not a mouth—communicating through text messages and a small white board that he carries around with him. When Eric’s mother Rosalind (played by BAFTA-nominated Triangle of Sadness standout Dolly De Leon) asks him to check in on his uncle, Eric starts seeing aliens, and reliving childhood memories.
Make no mistake, this is a horror film told on an emotional level with Eric being pursued by alien abductors who have haunted him since childhood. But are the aliens even real? It becomes clear as the narrative progresses that Eric’s trauma is being physically manifested.
The crippling psychological impact of Eric’s childhood molestation is dramatically and artistically realised in a way that doesn’t dilute the emotional impact of the revelations. His isolation and voicelessness play out as he is literally unable to tell people what has happened to him. And he is not alone. Through the film we encounter others who similarly lack a mouth to speak their own truths.
As a survivor of abuse who was too young to have the language to explain what was happening to him, or ask for help, Eric is trapped. It is a combination of the abuse, repression, and misplaced guilt that is eating away at him from the inside. As his hallucinations worsen, his friend (and crush) Carlos help him begin to heal.
Even as the actors are animated, their nuanced work and chemistry between them reads through the digital paint. Aquino especially delivers an exceptional performance, without words. Together, Aquino and Gahol are wonderful, while De Leon brings real warmth and honesty as Eric’s mother.
The animated style helps to soften the occasionally heavy-hand storytelling choices, were this a traditional live-action feature, it would potentially stray into melodrama or even camp, but the heightened reality of its style frees it from such limitations.
It is no wonder The Missing was chosen as the Philippines’ official submission for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards. Writer-director Carl Joseph E. Papa has made a powerful, inventive piece of filmmaking that speaks for the voiceless survivors of abuse. The style may be artistically realized, but the truths are searingly realistic.
By Chad Armstrong
The Missing (Iti mapukpukaw) receives its Australian premiere at Queer Screen’s 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival on Wednesday, February 21st followed by a Q&A with writer-director Carl Joseph E. Papa. The 2024 Mardi Gras Film Festival runs in cinemas in Sydney February 15th – 29th and on-demand Australia-wide March 1st – 11th.
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