In John and Ashley DiMarco’s short film Missing, a lone tracker, Brandon, wanders through the wilderness clutching a backpack he picked up off the trail that contains a teddy bear. He is confronted by Steve, a grizzled survivalist who is suspicious of anyone and everyone who stumbles onto his property. Tension mounts as Steve points his gun at him and slowly searches Brandon for other weapons. After a few pointed questions, Steve puts his gun down and offers Brandon food and a place to stay for the night.
That night at the campfire, Brandon reveals that he’s looking for his daughter, who has been missing for days. He holds out hope she is alive, but with each passing day, he fears the worst. Steve mentions that a lost boy came onto his property but got into trouble, and he wishes Brandon the best…but then there’s the matter of the teddy bear. Steve says it belonged to the boy, but Brandon knows better and reaches for his gun.
“Brandon reveals that he’s looking for his daughter, who has been missing for days.”
Missing plays out like a Western where two gunmen are at a standoff, playing a deadly game of psychological chess. Every word uttered can tip the balance between trust and mistrust, with life-or-death stakes. Missing explores grief, faith, and the fragile hope that drives a father’s search for his missing daughter—themes DiMarco threads through the uneasy bond between two men forced to confront what they believe and what they fear. The DiMarcos bring in Scripture as commentary on human nature to foreshadow our duo’s next move.
Director John DiMarco cites Steven Spielberg, Andrei Tarkovsky, and William Friedkin as his guiding lights. At the same time, he shapes the film’s visual language, with his characters playing a high-stakes game of chicken against the stark landscapes of Mount Charleston in Las Vegas. DiMarco’s attention to Missing’s visual style pays off in a well-constructed story. Though this indie short film looks terrific visually, my only criticism is the sound: the music, dialogue, and ambient elements needed to be better balanced. That’s the next element to refine in the next film.
In the end, Missing leaves its characters—and us—sitting with the uneasy truth of Old West justice, where every confession could warrant a death sentence, and how that chips bits and pieces of our soul.
For more information, visit the Missing official Instagram page.
"…Every confession could warrant a death sentence"
