The Missing is a 1999 Australian film about an Italian priest who visits Australia.
Contents
Plot
High-ranking Vatican priest Monsignor Tommaso (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) has a secret past he has tried to forget. On a working stint in Australia fifteen years earlier, he fathered a daughter, by Susan (Rebecca Frith). The daughter, Angela is now missing under mysterious circumstances, and with a series of unsolved murders in the area, her mother, Susan, fears she may have fallen victim to a serial killer. Tommaso travels to Melbourne, where he encounters mysterious Aboriginal tracker Willie (David Ngoombujarra), a man who has appeared in his dreams. Willie offers to help him find his daughter, and the two embark on a journey that will challenge Tommaso's faith and ultimately change his life forever.
Cast
Fabrizio Bentivoglio as Tommaso
David Ngoombujarra as Willie
John Moore as Sutherland
Rebecca Frith as Susan
Fiorenzo Fiorentini as Valetti
Syd Brisbane as Customs Official
Production
Filming locations
Filming locations included Melbourne, Parachilna in South Australia, Broken Hill in New South Wales, and Rome. The interior Vatican scenes were shot on location in Melbourne's State Library building. The Cathedral Room of Melbourne's ANZ Bank was also used as a stand-in for Vatican scenes. The Melbourne Showgrounds was the site for the unit in Melbourne.
Reception
David Stratton from The Movie Show said: "In the end, this is another fish out of water film - a European in the outback story. As the priest, a lost man both literally and symbolically, popular Italian actor Bentivoglio is rather uninspiring – but David Ngoombujarra more than makes up for his co-star's deficiencies with a commanding performance. Still, writer-director Manuela Alberti has come up with a scrappy piece of work which looks as if some significant bits and pieces wound up on the cutting room floor."
Stratton's co-host Margaret Pomeranz stated : "It's not badly directed, it's not badly acted. David Ngoomgujarra is a find, he's very charismatic. Unfortunately the film fails to realise the assets it actually has and recklessly discards any likeable character just as they're starting to connect with an audience. This is an Australian film where all sorts of terrific ingredients have not ultimately come together to make any sort of real impact."
