The Missing (2023)

Original title

Iti Mapukpukaw

Directed by

Carl Joseph Papa

Genre

animation, drama, science fiction

Country

Philippines

Runtime

1h 31m

Rated

R

Rating

7.6 of 10 from 6 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An animator who cannot speak learns his uncle has died. He struggles with an alien that wants to take him away. The story mixes real memory and fantasy.

meditativeintimatehauntingsurrealvisually stylizedpersonalplayful yet darkcontemplative

What happens

The Missing (Ilocano: Iti Mapukpukaw) is a 2023 Philippine adult animated science fiction drama film co-written and directed by Carl Joseph Papa. Carlo Aquino portrays Eric, an animator without a mouth who encounters and attempts to defeat an alien intent on abducting him after learning that his uncle is dead. It also stars Gio Gahol and Dolly de Leon as Eric's coworker and mother, respectively. The Missing, which employs rotoscope and traditional animation, is Papa's third feature-length animated film, after Manang Biring (2015), and The Leaving (2018). Papa based the film's story on his personal experiences of sexual abuse and began writing the film in 2019. Filming of live-action scenes began in November 2022 and took four days, followed by rotoscoping by around 90 animators for eight to nine months. The film uses Filipino and Ilocano. The Missing premiered at the 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in August 2023, and had its international premiere in January 2024 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It was the first animated film submitted by the Philippines for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The film, which received positive reception for its cast performance and animation style, won various awards in the Philippines and in international film festivals, such as the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Film Award and the NETPAC award. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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