The film begins in Chile at the time of the coup that ended the Allende government. When Pinochet and the rightists came to power, huge numbers of folks simply disappeared or were executed outright. Anyone who could have posed a problem to the new government simply were eliminated--by the thousands. One of these was Charles Horman--an American journalist who was just too outspoken to be ignored by the regime. Although you see him as the film begins, soon he disappears and his wife and probable widow (Sissy Spacek) is beside herself trying to find him. Soon, Horman's conservative father (Jack Lemmon) arrives and has faith that the US embassy personnel with help him in the search. Eventually, however, it becomes obvious that the personnel are NOT there to help and probably are complicit in the disappearance. What are they to do? They're in a hostile land with few, if any, allies.

This film won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Actor (Jack Lemmon),Best Actress (Sissy Spacek) and Best Picture. I am surprised that "Gandhi" won the Best Picture award that year--especially since the film was, in many ways, quite inaccurate historically (I am a history teacher--trust me on this one). "Missing" was a better film--as were "The Verdict", "Tootsie" and "ET" (in my semi-humble opinion). I wonder if perhaps the film's politics doomed it to lose--though considering Hollywood generally DOES run left, this may not be the case.

I am a reasonably conservative American, though I feel ashamed when I see films like "Missing" (as well as Costa-Garvas' other famous film, "Z"). While I am glad that the US had been traditionally anti-communist, this single-minded approach to international communism appears VERY misguided in hindsight. In too many cases, in order to combat this, the US government sponsored repressive and evil regimes--when they should have been pushing for self-determination and freedom. No matter how you try to excuse this, situations like the ones in "Missing" are simply inexcusable and the film should be seen by everyone--not just those on the left politically. Why? Because, the story in this case is TRUE--the situation involving the Pinochet regime in Chile was just plain evil--and should NOT be forgotten or ignored. History should be understood and lessons learned from them...or they'll be repeated. Well worth seeing and very well made overall.

Growing up in the Fifties as the USA hunkered down in the Cold War it was a nostrum repeated to us time and again that no country ever chose Communism by a democratic election. When the people of Chile elected Marxist Salvador Allende with a plurality of the vote that could no longer be said. But for the USA Allende maybe because he was elected and not part of a coup he was like an aberration that had to be expunged one way or another.

In the world of geopolitics Chile would be quite a prize for the other side. It's one of the leading suppliers of copper and probably the leading supplier to the world of nitrates. Can't let that country go red.

So with this in mind our Central Intelligence Agency directed a military coup against Allende who either committed suicide or was murdered by those who rose against him. A very brutal dictator named Augusto Pinochet took over and his reprisals were long and bloody. Sometimes they extended to foreigners as they did in Missing.

The story of Missing concerns the father and the wife of the missing John Shea who was a free lance journalist who like so many simply vanished when it was known he was an opponent of the regime. John Shea is seen at the beginning of Missing and he's a guy who hasn't quite settled down and thinking maybe this free lance journalism is what I'm meant for, finally. He fails to listen to the advice a few friends to be more discreet and not so obviously noting down the answers people give him.

When he goes missing his father played by Jack Lemmon comes down from America and joins Sissy Spacek who is Shea's wife. Father and daughter-in-law search everywhere and are given nothing but stonewalling answers from the Chileans and the American officials on the scene.

What Shea's cardinal sin was the discovery of those unofficial Americans on the scene, mostly of military background which contrasts the official line that America had not a thing to do with Allende's overthrow.

Lemmon and Spacek got Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress for Missing. Lemmon who most people identify with as a comic actor kept surprising us his entire life with dramatic performances that were special. The politics of Missing are diverted when Lemmon is on and we concentrate on a father's overwhelming grief and confusion over the fate of his son. He knows the worst has happened, that's confirmed by all he sees. Yet Lemmon's expressions tell all and the same could be said for Sissy Spacek.

Missing was also up for Best Picture and did win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was up that year against the grand pageantry of Gandhi as were a few other worthwhile films.

Missing is one unsavory story that should be told and retold.

Terry Simon (Melanie Mayron) is trying to go home after the Chilean coup of 1973 but the airport is shut down. She and her writer friend Charlie Horman (John Shea) may have stumbled upon secret American involvement. Charlie goes missing. His wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) comes home to find it trashed. His father Ed (Jack Lemmon) is given the runaround in Washington and goes down to find his only son himself. Ed trusts his government implicitly, dislike his son's choices and dismisses Beth constantly.

The ending is never really in doubt and that takes away from the drama. Ed could have been written slightly differently. He has issues with Charlie and Beth. His blind faith in the embassy feels wrong even in relations with his experience in Washington. His mantra should be anything to get his son home. Instead he concentrates more on fighting with Beth. It makes him naive at best but also different from his start. Beth can get a bit preachy too. This is a harrowing story and there are compelling scenes.