Missing

Shinzo Katayama's 2022 Japanese film follows Kaede, a high school student searching for her father after he vanishes under a weight of debt. Before disappearing he told her he would find a wanted serial killer and collect the reward; from there the story turns in an unexpected direction. The film divides into three parts, each rebuilding the same events from another person's view. That structure breaks the moral judgement the viewer formed in the first part. Katayama sets the questions of euthanasia and assisted suicide inside a thriller and gives no easy answer. Jiro Sato's performance carries it. The subject is heavy and some scenes are unbearably harsh. Who it's for: viewers who like Japanese thrillers and films built on moral ambiguity. Who it's not for: anyone avoiding content involving suicide, euthanasia and violence, or wanting a clear resolution.