Missing Pieces is a puzzle in a lot more ways than one. Not only is the premise a mystery but it’s a curious wonder how such an amazing film was made by a group of film lovers for pretty much nothing. Everyone who contributed to this movie movie worked for free yet the end result is so rich with passion. Missing Pieces is a multi-plot love story encapsulated in a kidnapping. At times surreal, the movie takes you on a journey through thoughts and ambitions while haunting you with a voyeuristic big brother stance. It spoils you with stunning backdrops that belong on an IMAX screen and again make you ponder how the movie was done for only $80,000.
Starring Mark Boone Junior as David Lindale, Missing Pieces is about a man who has lost not only his mind but his love because of it. Delia Greenly (Melora Walters) couldn’t take it anymore and had to leave David because he wasn’t the man that she fell in love with. To win her back, David seemed to ask every person he would meet for advice but couldn’t find the right answer. Misguided attempts led him to a breaking point and last ditch effort to figure out this love thing: kidnap two youngsters and hope that they fall in love. Daniel Hassel and Taylor Engel play these two unsuspecting people and together they gave me the most interesting story I’ve seen in years.
What's going on here?
Imagine waking up next to a complete stranger with no recollection of how you got there. You’re instructed to open a letter every hour on the hour and answer the questions it asks. I couldn’t help but make comparisons to Saw where Jigsaw captures his victims and puts them through mysterious games to teach them a lesson. Instead, this kidnapper is putting them through mysterious questions to possibly teach him a lesson. The captives may not exactly be victims because with each question they begin to get closer and closer with each other. While some of the dialogue was naive and the acting of the young newcomers has room to grow, they conveyed a beautiful budding relationship that kept me hooked. The plot keeps interchanging between a few stories but this one was definitely my favorite.
Mark Boone Junior in Missing Pieces
Mark Boone Junior gave a commanding performance as this kidnapper you could empathize with. He’s a man with no path looking for the answers and you could see that in his eyes with every scene. He holds the movie together as writer/director Kenton Bartlett takes us through quick cuts of past and present teasing us with explanations of what was happening. Perfectly syncing various stories and plot points lets the audience get a total understanding of the reasoning behind each action and question while still giving the movie watcher time for interpretation and questions themselves. The beginning is a bit slow as you can’t figure out what’s going on but once you start putting the pieces together, you’ll be hooked and trapped until the ending credits.
Expansive landscapes...great natural backdrops!
I was pleasantly surprised at how well this film was made and it reminded me of why I love cinema so much. With a good story and passion behind the project, movies can communicate so many things through the screen. From big blockbusters to small indies to even smaller works like this, the entertainment factor doesn’t dwindle with the budget – the story prevails and each individual can get something unique from the film. Missing Pieces is kind of like one of those hidden treasures that would usually be lost in the piles of unseen movies. But now, with the Internet, these great movies can gain exposure. Right now, you can watch this movie right now at prescreen.com for 60 days [https://prescreen.com/movie/Missing-Pieces]. If you buy it within the next few hours, you can see it for only $4! Trust me, this one will find distribution and you may not have to opportunity to see it like this again.
Tags: Daniel Hassel, Delia Greenly, Kenton Bartlett, Mark Boone Junior, Missing Pieces, Taylor Engel
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
