Few movies are capable of having an important impact on the viewer and even fewer are able to get under the spectator’s skin. One of these few motion pictures is, undoubtedly, Konstantionos Gavras’ Missing. The film combines a magnificent script which focuses in a touching yet compelling real-life story with elaborated performances and a good directing style to construct a story which resembles more to a documentary feature than to the average thriller. The story is obviously realistic, faithful to its source material and gives a harsh and pessimistic vision of the world in the early 70’s, opening the eyes of a world that would rather ignore what was happening in Chile during General Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. It certainly deserved the Academy Award it got for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1983, in a time when an Oscar meant more than today.

It’s September 11, 1973; the Armed Forces overthrew Salvador Allende's government in a coup. In his memoirs, Pinochet affirms that he used his position as Commander-in-chief of the army to coordinate this far-reaching scheme. The story opens just a couple of days after this event. Charlie Horman (John Shea), a journalist working for free in a communist newspaper, returns to Santiago de Chile after spending the last few days of his stance in the country in the beaches of Viña del Mar –where the coup is said to have been plotted- with his friend Terry Simon (Melanie Mayron). He’s worried because he hasn’t heard a word of his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) since the army took over the government. Fortunately she’s all right but all three are consternated because of the aberrations they witness every day. They feel safe because they’re American citizens and are heading back to the States in a few weeks but when Beth is unable to get home before curfew, the next day she finds out his husband has disappeared. The neighbors say some soldiers took him to the National Stadium –were the government slaughtered their political enemies- but in the American Embassy they say he’s hiding from someone. Charlie’s father, Edmund (Jack Lemmon), arrives to Chile two weeks later and discovers that his beloved government is not only unable to help him, but is hiding things he should know.

Donald Stewart and Costa-Gavra’s screenplay is one of the two main reasons the movie works so well. It’s a little difficult to understand who the main characters are at the beginning but later on, the story is just engrossing and captivating. The script is so good because it manages to reflect the time frame of the story excellently; the lack of freedom, the uncertainty not only from the Chileans but also from the Americans, the panic generated on the people, etc. The film is mostly spoken in English but there are some important thematic parts in Spanish which are subtitled. The characters of Charlie and his fellow journalists residing in Chile are developed in an unconventional way; we don’t really know who they are when the story starts off but when Edmund takes the investigation to the next level we get a little background, we could’ve used a little more information though. The movie firmly an openly states that the United States were involved in the coup which is something most people were afraid of saying. It also contains an interesting criticism by Mr. Horman towards young idealists who grow up with their parents’ wealth and later on decide to leave and try to save and change the world rejecting their lifestyle; but he understands this way of acting by the end of the movie. We are uncertain –as most of the people of the time were- of whether Charles is going to be found dead or alive until the end of the movie.

The second reason why the film is remarkable lies on the acting department. Jack Lemmon is absolutely magnificent as the desperate father looking for his lost son –who he’s actually lost a long time ago-; his character is justifiably suspicious because he’s aware of the many conspiracies involving the disappearance of his boy. Lemon is able to represent Ed Horman’s impotence in a believable and touching way. Sissy Spacek shines in the movie; John Shea, Melanie Mayron and Charles Cioffi, David Clennon and Richard Venture playing the three “bad guys” of the film, the functionaries at the US Embassy add more good performances to the film. Every single character is believable making the story feel more realistic, the audience seems to be watching real people and not actors performing on-screen.

Director Costa-Gavras manages to recreate an unsafe Chile –although obviously the film wasn’t filmed there but in Mexico because Pinochet’s dictatorship lasted until 1990- with the people fearing for their integrity and lives. No one was sure if he was considered an enemy by the government and didn’t care for each other. He uses unannounced flashbacks to explain the context of the coup and why Charlie was taken prisoner by the army –he knew too much about the American government being involved in the coup-. Costa-Gavras innovatively builds suspense in the curfew scenes using discrete music and not too fancy camera angles to add realism. The storytelling is good and when we get to understand who the characters really are –again, it’s a little confusing at the beginning- the movie never bores nor does it feel slow.

Missing is a movie which doesn’t shy away from showing how things truly happened in Chile. Keep in mind when the movie was theatrically released, Pinochet was still the President in charge of the government. Some say it’s because of him that the southern country is economically one of the most powerful of South America; this might be true but after watching this film, at what cost? Thousands of innocent people were murdered and basic liberties were suppressed –woman had to wear dresses for example-. The motion picture is an intellectual thriller full of conspiracies which feels documentary-like. It doesn’t tell the story of Charles Horman, Missing is about his father and wife’s quest to find him; it’s a powerful movie that opens your eyes. It is the kind of film we would like to watch a little more often nowadays.

© Mauricio Kahn

Lima, Feb 2008

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