The latest mystery film, Missing, has changed the 2023 theater landscape and has sparked widespread interest among moviegoers. The film, starring Storm Reid (Euphoria), follows a teenager called June as she uses technology to find her mother, who went missing while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend.

As June continues her investigation, she uncovers facts about her mother that both shock and surprise her. The story is almost too outrageous to be true, but how much of it is based on true events? How true to life is it, and what narrative is it based upon? Here’s all we know.

Is the Movie Missing Based on a True Story?

Despite its realistic premise and inventive use of current technology in storytelling, Missing is not based on a true story.

The film and its plot are entirely fictional, created and written by Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty. Ohanian and Chaganty wrote the story for Missing, while filmmakers Nick Johnson and Will Merrick penned the screenplay. Johnson and Merrick also edited Run and Searching under Chaganty’s supervision.

Missing is a standalone sequel to Searching, which means that while both stories take place in the same universe, they are not closely related by narrative or actors. Ohanian and Chaganty also wrote the original stories for both films, as well as the Hulu original thriller Run, which starred Sarah Paulson.

Missing is thematically and visually comparable to Searching as a result of regular collaborations between writers and filmmakers. There are some subtle connections between these three films, which their collaborators made sure to include.