Michael Goi’s “
Meghan is Missing“ Is shocking, disturbing, barbaric and is a MUST SEE!
Last night I attended a screening of “
Meghan is Missing” at the
USC School of Cinematic Arts. Michael Goi, ASC, who is an incredibly well known Cinematographer and the
President of the ASC invited me. The invitation came with plenty of disclaimers of how difficult and disturbing the movie and the content is and for me not to be surprised.
I made my way to the theater with Chris Purse of Ignite! and there was Michael greeting guests. As he stepped on to the stage and briefly introduced the movie he let the audience know that he would not take it personal if they needed to leave due to the gruesome images. I thought, “leave the theater – I am a hard core movie goer – how bad could this be?”
I knew that the movie was about abductions and that all of the details came from his many hours of research, FBI files and a relationship that he build with Mr. Klaus (
Polly Klaus’s father) Polly was an abduction, raped and murdered which that took place a few years ago in Petaluma California with much gruesome details.
As the movie started and I sat through the first few minutes and the style of the movie took me into the story. Michael’s direction was superb and drove the viewer to step into the horrific tail that was unfolding. He used Canon HDV cameras and the entire movie was shoot with the POV of either webcam or cell phone cameras – the true mode of communication of our teens today. It was shoot in eight and half days. Michael spent hour of research so all of the details of the movie were backed by fact, case studies and FBI files. The actors, their performance was amazing. Young and many having never stepped in front of a camera – oh so believable! Michael was driven to write and direct this movie after seeing hours of news reports about abductions in the southern Californian area – and up tick that amazed him.
I could go on and on about Michael’s masterful story telling using technology and generation specific modes of communication or how gruesome abduction, sexual crimes and murder is BUT I actually recommend that you find the movie and see it!
The hour and forty minutes ish of the film left me with the feeling of desperation and concern all in one breath. How is it in this civilized world (so we call it) that crimes of this nature even exist? How do we protect our children, women and society in general from this evil, as it is not of any human kind?
As I made my way home in the late evening hours I had this spine tingling feeling all the way home and was paying attention to any details around me – quickly made it in door locked it behind me and quickly instructed my 11 pound Pompeian to attack at any noise. I hoped that when I woke up that these images would be erased from my experience. As I write this blog entry they are still there and with a sense of what can I do to stop these terrible terrible crimes?
This is a question I will ask Michael. What can I do?
He has done such a beautiful job (I use that word beautiful amidst all the ugly of the images and horror of the story) in not letting the audience off the hook. Making us look at our society and what our role is. Kudos to you Michael. I sincerely hope that film festival around the world have the GUTS to enter this movie into the festivals and not pass it by out of fear that the audience can’t take it. Why power puff this when it is happening in our own back yard – we need to grow up and stop this. I hope that audiences have the nerve to stay in their seats when it gets hard to watch and your mind runs away with you. I hope that this movie creates a movement – a movement that eliminated, abduction, rape and murder and that we do a much better job of protecting our youth.
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