The Missing / Iti mapukpukaw

Eric doesn’t have a mouth. Otherwise, he’s just an average-looking Filipino guy working as an animator, but he’s forced to communicate with others wordlessly. His seemingly quiet life in a small apartment and a budding romance with a cute guy are disrupted by a phone call from his mother, who’s worried about his missing uncle. Eric finds his uncle’s lifeless body in an abandoned house, and he struggles to process the traumatic experience. The death of his relative awakens a long-buried secret and opens old wounds. Moreover, Eric’s inner turmoil is complicated by the return of an alien trying to abduct him and take everything he holds dear. The only answer seems to be to look back at his past and finally sort out his memories. Which of them is real and which is a merciful lie? This award-winning Filipino-Thai animated sci-fi film for adults tackles trauma in an unconventional yet sensitive way. The rotoscope animation, where the actions of real actors are traced by animators, adds both originality and urgency to the story.