Is Missing woke?
Missing (2023)
Movie
Released: January 1, 2023
Wokeness Score
7/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Deliberate centering of Black family with producers citing diversity as default inclusion choice.
- Explicit incorporation of 'Missing White Girl Syndrome' and media bias against people of color themes.
- Portrayal of institutions failing Black women while protagonists self-rescue from domestic abuse.
Wokeness Analysis
The 2023 film Missing centers a Black single mother and daughter in a screenlife thriller about a disappearance, with deliberate casting choices that normalize diverse representation as per producer comments emphasizing 'why not' inclusion rather than story necessity. Directors explicitly reference injecting 'Missing White Girl Syndrome' commentary, Twitter critiques, and biases against people of color into the narrative, framing true-crime sleuthing and media sensationalism as disproportionately harmful to Black victims and quick to villainize single Black women. The plot contrasts institutional failures (police, bureaucracy) with the self-reliance of the Black female protagonists, who ultimately resolve the domestic abuse-driven conflict themselves. This setup delivers intentional social commentary on race, media exploitation of marginalized victims, and systemic issues, often feeling integrated yet prominent enough to prioritize messaging over pure escapism. Conservative-leaning views note the shoehorned elements around 'missing white woman syndrome' and copaganda critiques as forced agenda points that overshadow the mystery's entertainment value for audiences tired of such lectures in mainstream films.
Plot
Missing (2023) follows 18-year-old June Allen (Storm Reid), who uses digital tools to search for her missing mother Grace (Nia Long) after she disappears during a vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung). What begins as a screenlife mystery involving international red tape and online sleuthing unravels family secrets, including Grace's hidden past tied to an abusive ex-husband presumed dead. The thriller reveals a domestic conspiracy rather than a grand plot, emphasizing mother-daughter reconciliation amid twists. Released theatrically on January 20, 2023, it is a standalone entry in the Searching universe.