Seattle International Film Festival
Review: Missing In America
Danny Glover blends equal measures of sadness and strength as the tormented Vietnam veteran Jake, who has been living nearly three decades of self-imposed solitary confinement in the great outdoors. His life is disrupted by the mysterious arrival of a former platoon-mate (the excellent David Strathairn) and, more pressingly, the latter’s nine-year-old Amerasian daughter (Seattle native Zoe Weizenbaum, soon to appear in the much-anticipated cinematic adaptation of the bestselling Memoirs of a Geisha ). When tragedy occurs, Jake begins to escape from his shell and rediscover his long submerged humanity. But he soon discovers that scars still run deep among his fellow shell-shocked hermits, many of whom are unwilling or unable to conquer their prejudices. The accomplished feature debut of director/co-writer/producer Gabrielle Savage Dockterman (previously an award-winning educational filmmaker), this is a heartfelt exploration of the lingering tragedies of the past and the possibility of new beginnings, with a rich feel for character and a genuinely stirring epilogue set at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A refreshingly non-cloying, strikingly symbolic drama that makes terrific use of the Pacific Northwest's forest primeval as a backdrop, Missing In America boasts inspired supporting performances by Linda Hamilton and a memorably spooky Ron Perlman.