Missing Movie Analysis

710 Words2 Pages

The film, Missing directed by Costa-Gavras, brings to life the paranoia and suspense that resonated from the Chilean military coup d’état in 1973. Through its interpretation of the dramatic overthrow, the film brings forth the darker themes of the era such as the mistreatment of the public, the intricate web of information having to do with the American involvement, and the information withheld by the authorities about missing persons.
A coup d’état, in definition, is construed as a sudden overthrow of a pre-existing governmental structure usually instigated by a small group with some form of support from the military. The execution of the coup itself is well represented as a rapid overturn of political power with the aid of the military. …show more content…

Missing does well to shine a light on the civil rights, or lack thereof, of the Chilean people. The population was faced with a brutal reality of a threateningly heavy military presence in their lives. During many cases throughout the movie, the aggressive military took centre stage and stood as a symbol for the unseen horrors that were taking place at the time. On many accounts, the movie featured the unfair and cruel treatment of the public at the hands of the soldiery, painting it in an almost villainess or antagonistic perspective. From the harassment of women in the streets to the suppression of free speech in the numerous book burnings, the movie decisively showcased the actuality of the Chilean people in a way that put audiences at edge with the sense of nonchalance that was used as a tool for building tension. A particular example of this strategic placement can also be seen during the second half of the movie: when the sickening brutality of the regime begins to show in the amount of corpses that begin to pile up in hospitals, morgues and sometimes on the streets. During the length of the film, the two main characters must also watch their every step in their desperate search to ensure that the army has no reason to arrest them, being as they are American citizens. This reflects the notion of the opposite occurring; the army does in fact make arrests of Chileans nationals …show more content…

Missing focused more on the personal journey of the two main characters without providing a great deal of outright context on the events preceding the actual story. However, the appearance of the military on screen continuously brought up the notion that the government had all of the control. Even more, the strategic looming presence of the soldiers throughout the film only added to the suspense and raised the stakes of the search being conducted by the two protagonists. The presence of the armed forces is a basic characteristic of a coup and essentially goes hand-in-hand with total autocratic government. Therefore, without making it blaringly obvious, the movie allows audiences to infer the governmental status of Chile without any need for a great detail of prior background

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