Missing in America (2005)

Directed by: Gabrielle Savage Dockterman | 102 minutes | drama | Actors: Danny Glover, Ron Perlman, Linda Hamilton, Zoe Weizenbaum, David Strathairn, Timothy Webber, Gabrielle Rose, Frank C. Turner, Jesse Moss, Ty Olsson, Colin Lawrence

The US is full of men (and a few women) who, years later, still suffer from the horrors of the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. They have not only physical, but also spiritual scars from that time. Wounds that may never heal. Some of these veterans live in isolation. They roam the streets or have retired to the woods. They feel abandoned by the US government. One of these bush vets is Jake Neeley (Danny Glover), the lead actor in the drama Missing in America (2005). He is still battling the demons of his past. He lives secluded in a self-made cabin in the mountainous state of Washington, where he hides from the world. Every now and then he drives his truck to the nearest village, where he gets his much-needed groceries in Kate’s (Linda Hamilton’s) village shop. He does not appear further.

Jake’s isolation is abruptly interrupted when a former maidservant, Henry (David Strathairn) comes to visit him. Critically ill Henry asks Jake to care for his half-Vietnamese daughter Lenny (Zoë Weizenbaum). Although Jake says he doesn’t feel like it, his mate leaves him no choice: he runs off the next morning. And so the old, gruff soldier and the young girl are at the mercy of each other. Although things are not going well, Jake grows more and more fond of the girl. Her open mind even gets him to contact the other bush vets hiding in the area. With results. Only with the traumatized and mutilated Red (Ron Perlman) the contact does not go smoothly…

A debuting screenwriter, a director without any experience and a script that is not free of clichés. It’s a miracle that ‘Missing in America’ turns out so well. The drama of a young girl reviving a moody old war veteran could have just missed the mark. But because writer Ken Miller, who himself served in the military for years, writes from the heart, even the scenes that are actually a bit forced feel honest. The ending, which will make many people fall on their roofs raw, is confounding, but another ending wouldn’t have felt right. Of course ‘Missing in America’ is a bit wobbly, but thanks to a strong performance by Danny Glover, who was rarely better than here, the film easily stands up. Glover is completely believable as the broken veteran who is slowly regaining joy. Although the young Zoë Weizenbaum sometimes looks a bit wooden, she shines like a sun. Small but beautiful supporting roles are from Linda Hamilton and David Strathairn and Ron Perlman is… well, Ron Perlman.

An important plus of ‘Missing in America’ is the beautiful cinematography of Ken Kelsh. British Columbia in Canada, which serves as Washington’s deputy, is splashing from the canvas. The beautiful forests and mountains emphasize the solitude of the bush vets once again. The cold and the fog, you can feel them through the screen. Besides Glover, photography is the greatest strength of this fine debut by Gabrielle Savage Dockterman. Not a high-flyer, but a sympathetic and honest drama with its heart in the right place.