10 best films like disappeared

From the gripping mystery to the unique way the story unfolds, many fans are looking for films like Absent to provide similar emotions. The compelling film stars Storm Reid as June, a teenager who uses all her Internet sleuthing skills to try to locate her mother Grace (Nia Long). Grace was on vacation in Colombia with her boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung) when her sudden disappearance made national headlines.

The fictional thriller was created as an original story by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian. The innovative use of technology in Absent contributes to the modern “screenlife” genre, in which the entire story is told through the lens of a computer screen, phone, or camera that exists in the story world, first seen in 2018 Looking for. However, the film also has a number of other elements that make it a fun ride, from the mission case to the amateur detective and the shocking twists, and is reminiscent of other films of the same ilk.

10

Gone Girl (2014)

Directed by David Fincher

missing girl is a riveting 2014 psychological thriller directed by David Fincher. The film revolves around the disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) on her wedding anniversary. A missing person investigation is opened and begins to point to Amy’s husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), as responsible. missing girl was originally a best-selling novel by author Gillian Flynn. Its story delves into the complicated dynamics of Amy and Nick’s marriage, which ends up revealing dark secrets about Amy’s manipulative tactics.

The first half of missing girl is quite similar to Absent as Nick’s investigation into his wife’s disappearance continuesexamining your life and examining your past together to find clues. It’s a thrilling mystery only to deliver an incredible twist midway through the film that changes everything. missing girlThe ending deviates from Absent in becoming a much more complex film about twisted relationships, but both are excellent entries into the missing person subgenre.

9

Farra (2020)

Directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko

Spree is a gripping 2020 dark comedy directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko. The screenlife film follows Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery), a rideshare driver who is desperate to go viral on the internet. Kurt comes up with a twisted plan to become famous by live-streaming a series of murders in his car. He documents the deaths of several unsuspecting passengers, which gives him influence online. The unique film explores the darkest possibilities of social media obsession and the lengths people will go to in order to gain large amounts of social media followers.

Both Spree and Absent enjoy the extent to which modern life is lived through screens. Although it is difficult to make a convincing film from this point of view, both Absent and Spree manage to use the limitations of this approach to great effect, never making the story feel small. Keery also gives a wonderfully unhinged performance in the lead role, embracing aspects of dark comedy that aren’t present in Absent.

8

Prisoners (2013)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Prisoners is an intense and frightening 2013 thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve. The moving but devastating film is about the horrific reality of missing persons cases and focuses on the emotional turmoil experienced by victims’ families and the police investigators involved in the cases. Prisoners begins with the abrupt disappearance of two girls on Thanksgiving. The father of one of the missing children, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), does everything he can to find his daughter and her friend, believing that police officers like Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) are not doing enough to locate them.

As Absent, Prisoners is a look at the desperation and overwhelming need to find answers that comes from those searching for lost loved ones. However, while demand determined from June to Absent is inspiring and heroic, Prisoners shows the dark extremes this kind of loss can take a person to. It’s a thrilling and dark exploration of the dark nature of people.

7

Flight Plan (2005)

Directed by Robert Schwentke

Flight plan is a moving film that tells the story of a recently widowed aeronautical engineer named Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster), whose daughter Julia (Marlene Lawston) went missing on an international flight from Berlin to New York. Kyle desperately searches the plane and asks for help, but no one on board seems to know anything about Julia’s disappearance. Flight plan is similar to Absent in its fascinating and suspenseful plot about a family member who will stop at nothing to find their missing loved one.

Just like June in Absent often feels that she is the only one who does anything to find her mother, Flight plan sees Kyle relaxing in the growing frustration that no one seems to believe her. However, even as the mystery grows, the audience does not lose faith in her, as she continues to be a determined and loving heroine who will discover the truth at all costs.

6

Gone, Baby Gone (2007)

Directed by Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck made his impressive directorial debut with the thriller It’s gone, baby, it’s gonebased on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. The film follows two private investigators, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), who are hired to find a missing girl named Amanda McCready. The story begins when Amanda mysteriously disappears from her home in a working-class neighborhood in Boston. As the investigation progresses, Patrick and Angie uncover a world of corruption they never could have imagined.

Different Absent and other missing persons films, It’s gone, baby, it’s gone does not focus on people looking for their loved ones, but rather professionals hired to find someone. Regardless, Patrick and Angie are deeply invested in the case. As Prisoners, gone, baby, gone is a dark examination of the genre with an ending that makes victory feel like defeat.

5

Host (2020)

Directed by Rob Savage

Host is a 2020 found footage horror film that gained popularity for its unique technological approach to filmmaking and its relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire film is told over a Zoom call, reflecting the rise in virtual meetings and socializing that have become the new normal during lockdowns. The story is about a group of friends who decide to hold a séance via Zoom with a spiritual medium. The group attempts to connect with the spiritual world, but accidentally invites a negative entity to their meeting, leading to a series of terrifying instances of paranormal activity.

Although the plot has no real connection to Absentthe filmmaking style showcases the type of unique and moving stories that can be told with this approach. Absent and Host take advantage of the familiarity audiences have with viewing these screens and use that familiarity to create stories that feel grounded in some reality, no matter what genre they belong to.

4

The Girl on the Train (2016)

Directed by Tate Taylor

The girl on the train is a riveting 2016 psychological thriller directed by Tate Taylor based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins. The story revolves around Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), a woman who struggles with alcoholism, who travels daily by train and is strangely obsessed with a couple she observes. Rachel’s observations of the couple lead her to witness a shocking event involving the woman, Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett), that ultimately entangles her in a hidden web of deceit that puts her in danger.

Rachel shares many similarities with AbsentIt’s June, as they are tenacious and tireless in their search for the truth. The two amateur detectives are able to uncover any clue and delve deeper into the complicated mystery. However, The girl on the train is also fascinating because it focuses on someone who is separate from the mystery, adding a voyeuristic quality to Rachel’s investigation.

3

No Friendship (2015)

Directed by Levan Gabriadze

No friendship is a groundbreaking 2014 horror film that uses a classic found-footage style, utilizing webcams, messages, and screen recordings to tell its story, which takes place entirely on a computer screen. The film follows a group of high school friends on a Skype call whose conversation takes a sinister turn when they begin to be haunted by a mysterious evil presence. Narratively similar to Host, No friendship was one of the first films to execute the inventive concept that eventually laid the foundation for the core elements of the screenlife genre.

No friendship helped pave the way for films like Absentshowing that this approach, although often considered gimmicky, can be quite effective. However, not every film that tries to do the same thing works as well, and Absent and No friendship show that their success comes largely from the authentic way in which life on social media is portrayed and the commitment to detail. Both films successfully place the audience in this scenario while making it feel real.

2

Run (2020)

Directed by Aneesh Chaganty

Run follows Diane Sherman (Sarah Paulson), a single mother who seems committed to caring for her daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen). Chloe is home-schooled and has a motor disability that requires additional attention from Diane, but Chloe begins to suspect that her mother may not want what’s best for her. As she delves deeper into the truth, her entire world is called into question.

Run shares very similar themes to Absent including the uncertainty of trust, psychological manipulation and how far a parent will go to protect their secrets. Run focuses on a central dynamic between mother and daughter, which is also on display in Absent. Sarah Paulson’s performance is especially effective because she is able to be a loving, caring mother one moment and suddenly become scary the next.

1

Looking (2018)

Directed by Aneesh Chaganty

Looking for is the independent prequel to Absent, offering a glimpse of how the gripping mystery of a missing person can unfold entirely on one screen. Looking for tells its suspense story with the roles reversed in Looking foras a desperate father (John Cho) searches for his missing daughter. The new dynamic is even more effective as Looking for It plays on the generational gaps that can exist on social media as the father searches for the truth.

The film features computer screens, surveillance footage and social media platforms to convey the narrative, a successful format that is replicated in Absent. Like Storm Reid’s performance in AbsentJohn Cho is essential to grounding the mystery with a fantastic protagonist. It will be interesting to see if Chaganty and Ohanian plan to make a second sequel using the innovative technological storytelling devices shown in Looking for and Absent.