Missing 411: The Hunted

Michael DeGrazier's 2019 documentary recounts stories of hunters who disappeared in the forests of North America. The source is the compilation work the former police officer David Paulides has pursued for years, in which he claims to find shared patterns among missing person cases. The strongest part is the families' testimony. People who lost someone describe how the searches were conducted and why the official explanations did not satisfy them. Those sections are direct and affecting. Against that, the film's framing is a problem. Paulides does not propose a supernatural explanation but implies one constantly; known explanations such as accident, becoming lost and hypothermia are not adequately weighed. There is almost no expert testimony and no opposing voices appear. Who it's for: those who like mystery and missing-person narratives. Who it's not for: viewers expecting an evidence-based investigation; the documentary makes no attempt to verify its claims.