In “Missing,” Jiro Sato shows impressive acting in the lead role. This performance feels like a turning point in his career. He leaves behind his usual image as a friendly, funny uncle and instead plays a father weighed down by darkness. His performance stands out, especially in the first half as he cares for his wife and tries to protect his daughter, and in the second half when he faces a tough choice.
In the scene where his wife, suffering from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), begs him to “kill me,” he masterfully expresses the complex emotions of love and anguish intertwined. The contradiction of trying to strangle her but ultimately being unable to do it left me only to embrace her. Only Jiro Sato could have achieved this nuanced psychological portrayal.
“This Side and That Side”—The Boundary Reflecting Good and Evil, Life and Death
“Missing” is about the idea of “this side and that side.” It looks at good and evil, life and death, and what is normal and what is not. This use of boundaries adds depth to the film.
The story moves back and forth through time from three perspectives: daughter → criminal → father. The opening scene, in which the father practices swinging a hammer and then shoplifts, already hints that he belongs to “the other side.”
One memorable scene shows the daughter chasing the criminal, who escapes by climbing over a wall to “the other side.” The film often uses walls as symbols of boundaries, such as the Ping Pong Club with its newspaper-covered windows or the hospital rooftop with white sheets blowing in the wind. These moments all show the line between “this side” and “the other side.”
Most crucially, the ping-pong net in the final scene stands out. The film concludes with father and daughter playing ping-pong across the net, but this net itself represents the ultimate boundary. I felt the daughter remained on “this side,” positioning herself to judge her father.
The Subtle Use of Motifs
Director Katayama stands out for his careful use of motifs, paying attention to even the most minor details.
Premium Malts: The father drinks Premium Malts, but the killer does not. In the scene where the killer eats lunch at the ping pong club, only the father has Malts. It shows the killer bought beer for the father, hinting that the father was the first to understand him.
Home Run Bar: The killer remembers, “I watched the house being built while eating a Home Run Bar.” Winning a prize on this bar means you get another, which stands for “rebirth.” It connects to the killer facing death and coming back, showing the line between life and death.
White Socks: In the opening, the daughter picks up a pair of white socks. These are the same socks the perpetrator later puts on the corpse, hinting at the story’s central mystery.
The Story Structure Inherited from Bong Joon-ho—The Artistry of Timeline and the Meaning of the Ending
The film pulls viewers in by switching between three timelines: the daughter’s, the perpetrator’s, and the father’s. This style is similar to the works of Guy Ritchie and Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother.”
Director Katayama worked as an assistant director on Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother.” That film tells of a mother who believes in her son, finds the truth, and faces a test as a parent. Similarly, this film follows a daughter as she searches for her father’s true identity and faces a significant decision. Katayama also brings in themes of human darkness and social issues from his earlier film, The Brothers at the Cape. The use of newspapers to cover windows, seen in both movies, stands for a closed-off inner world.
The story starts with the daughter looking for a “fugitive using her father’s name.” When a police officer asks, “Who exactly are you looking for?” it gets to the heart of the film. The daughter is really searching for her father, who has become a murderer. When she says “I found him” at the end, she means she has found her father’s true self.
The movie ends with the father and daughter playing ping-pong. The daughter says, “We won.” What did they win? She has moved past her father, grown up, and now stands on “this side,” judging him.
Without this final scene, the film would have ended as a hopelessly grim, gut-wrenching experience. Yet, the daughter’s decision to move forward after discovering her father’s true nature offers a glimmer of hope. This dual structure—both a dark mother-daughter tale and a coming-of-age story for the daughter—elevates the film beyond mere suspense into a masterpiece.
Summary: What lies beyond the boundary?
Missing film tells the story of a daughter looking for her father, but it also asks viewers to think about the line between “this side and that side.” Good and evil, life and death, love and sin—where do these lines fall? Was the father really on “the other side”? Could the daughter stay on “this side”?
Jiro Sato’s unsettling performance, Hiraya Shimizu’s intense gaze, and Aoi Aoyama’s portrayal of growth all stand out. Director Katayama’s careful direction and writing bring everything together. This film combines all these elements to become a standout work in Japanese cinema.
After watching, which side of the ping-pong net do you find yourself on?
