IMDb user comments for
Missing in America (2005)

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41 comments in total

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34 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :-
A powerful film about Vietnam veterans, 1 June 2005

Author: kalyx from Columbia, MO

I had the privilege of seeing this film at the Seattle International Film Festival on Memorial Day and I couldn't have selected more suitable film for the occasion.

In Missing in America, Jake (Danny Glover) is surprised by a fellow ex-Vietnam war vet (David Strathairn) who unexpectedly leaves his half-Vietnamese little girl with Jake to care for. The film follows the emotionally wounded vet as he grows attached to the little girl, played superbly by Zoe Weizenbaun, who will be in the upcoming Memoirs of a Geisha.

Danny Glover's Jake is familiar territory for the actor as Jake is an independent survivor who lives alone in a shack in the woods and is more than a little disagreeable. He drives into to town periodically to buy supplies from Kate (Linda Hamilton) with money made from selling chopped wood. Jake doesn't immediately take to the little girl, Lenny, that is left in his care, but as Jake's character warms up to his new housemate, this film could have become a sweet film about a wounded man who is changed forever by the child in his life, but Missing in America doesn't travel down that path. Instead, it used the arrival of a half-Vietnamese child as a catalyst that allows for the exploration into the lives of the mysterious war veterans that live solitary lives in the woods, not able to forget the horrors they experienced in Vietnam. In Lenny's explorations into the woods, she meets their neighbors, some, like Red (Ron Perlman), are still living as if they are in a war zone and see Lenny as a painful reminder of a war that while being 40 years in the past, still impacts their lives on a daily basis.

Missing in America is a very amazing first feature for director Gabrielle Savage Dockterman. This was a very courageous and sometimes gut wrenching film that feels like a very authentic snapshot of life 40 years after the Vietnam war for some veterans.

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32 out of 34 people found the following comment useful :-
This is an important movie to get in distribution, 31 May 2005

Author: jogliore from United States

My wife and I just saw this movie at The Seattle Film Festival. It is outstanding. There are some minor flaws but this movie needs to get into nationwide distribution. The only way that will happen is if people that read IMDb ask for it. Danny Glover should be nominated for an Oscar and the little girl is a real possibility for a supporting actress nomination. This movie tells an important story about how this country has ignored the plight of mentally disturbed Vietnam veterans (get ready in twenty years for the same thing with Iraq veterans). It is too bad that intelligently made movies have trouble getting distributed while some much crapola does. Please contact your local film distributor and ask that they show this film.

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22 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Powerful Film, 23 September 2005
Author: Ray Bernard from United States

This film is really worth seeing. I saw it yesterday at the opening night of the International Diversity Film Market in D.C. Danny Glover introduced the film, and the producer/director Gabrielle Savage Dockterman plus actors Linda Hamilton and Zoë Weizenbaum held a Q&A session after the screening. (Mr. Glover had to leave to travel for an early morning shoot.) Judging from the many audience comments, the film had the same kind of impact on others as it did on me.

The acting is superb, which is important, because part of the film's impact stems from the realism of the characters. Within minutes your heart is captured by Lenny (Miss Weizenbaum's character), a darling young half Vietmanese girl whose American father is dying of lung cancer. The story deals with the multitude of issues that war veterans have to struggle with, and does so within a heartwarming and sometimes comedic--but always realistic--context. It is a story of healing, but with a plot has some surprising twists.

The original story has great personal meaning for the former green beret who wrote it, as well as for Mr. Glover and many others who were involved in the production. Whether or not you know anyone who has a similarity to any of the story's characters, you are bound to be touched by this movie. My wife and I both thoroughly enjoyed the film.

It is not a "feel good" film, but is very much a "feel right" film. This production more than does justice to the story and its important messages.

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22 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent cast, script, 29 May 2005

Author: Ricetwodogs from Seattle, WA

I was lucky enough to see the film at the Seattle International Film Festival(SIFF) on May 28, 2005. Danny Glover and the rest of the cast did a superb job portraying these wounded human beings. I think the time is right for a film to discuss the long-term effects on Veterans and their families. Just because a conflict is over doesn't mean that those people affected aren't still experiencing its horrors. The directing, cinematography and script along with the acting, in my opinion, makes this film worthy of a national viewing. Danny Glover, Linda Hamilton, and Ron Perlman's performances were believable and memorable. The young girl in the movie did a great job for her first film. Also, at SIFF the writers of the script stated that the characters in the film are based on real characters in the Northwest. While watching the film, I found some of the behaviors of the characters not realistic, such as dropping food off for people living in the wilderness; however, that information was stated to be true by the lead script writer. I hope that this film will get national distribution. There is definitely an audience for it.

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16 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Well conceived, compelling and heart rending film, 30 July 2005

Author: ssilbey from United States

I saw this film at the Woods Hole Film Festival in Falmouth MA. It is a first rate exploration of the long lasting damage from the Viet Nam war. This is the story of a Viet Nam vet living in the NW woods, isolated, alone and desirous of remaining so. One of the men from his troop shows up 30 years later, depositing his half-Vietnamese child and disrupting the vet's carefully orchestrated remove from the world. The child becomes, as expected, the catalyst for healing and renewal. So much for the conventional plot. What is unconventional is the depth of emotion, as well as honesty of the writing and the performances. This is a completely absorbing film that seduces and transfixes the audience with its strong but gentle sentiments. This should get a first run in theaters, and perhaps some nominations for writing, acting and cinematography. Danny Glover is perfect; Zoe Weizenbaum is a young woman to watch. An unforgettable film. Its images and story stay with you.

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Powerful, Sensitive and an Extraordinary Film, 25 September 2005

Author: kerrorize from Washington DC, United States

This is a powerful, beautifully crafted and superbly acted film. I wept as did the friends sitting at my sides. Yet there was humor along with the tragedy expressed with so much depth of relationships, so genuine you felt you knew these people.

Appropriate in it's timing, with the subject matter of what happens to those who have fought for our country and are left to survive their ordeal. This is a film of our time and of the ages. One which should be seen by mothers and sons, fathers and daughters and especially those who irresponsibly choose to send our children off into wars for power or righteousness. Those who choose to spend more money on the latest, greatest new weapons and ignore the effects of the old ones.

The directorial debut by Gabrielle Savage Docketerman was masterful. Danny Glover and Linda Hamilton show true life chemistry and Oscar quality performances, all to be out shined by the young and very talented Zoe Weizenbaum.

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
An excellent film, 22 July 2005
Author: fpiiiesq from United States

I was invited to a screening in New York City recently and thoroughly enjoyed this film. Mr. Glover's and Zoe Weizenbaum's performances were superb. The locations in the movie were some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen and the photography and lighting was breathtaking. The story is well-paced and and the supporting characters were interesting and well acted. Mr. Perlman artfully conveys much emotion through his character without speaking a word. This movie really is a powerful, and sometimes gut-wrenching, examination of the lasting effects of the Vietnam conflict on those who experienced the war.

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
A disenfranchised Viet Nam vet is forced to confront his own demons while trying to care for his buddy's daughter., 4 August 2005

Author: abburnham from United States

I loved this movie. I hope everyone across America has the opportunity to see it. It had such depth- we're still talking about the thought-provoking issues raised. The topic is very timely. Anyone who has been in the military, or knows a veteran should relate to it. Especially post 9/11 and into Iraq, there has been more attention given to the Viet Nam war. The acting was terrific. I had only seen Danny Glover in action roles. He captured the character of a tormented loner amazingly well. The little girl is a treasure. Linda Hamilton is very believable as a tough Alaskan widow. The scenery is spectacular. I'd love to see it again, and have told dozens of friends and coworkers they need to see it when it comes out.

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Missing in America a must see - Zoe and Danny amazing, 13 November 2005

Author: tgardner-4 from United States

I just saw Zoe Weizenbaum with Danny Glover in "Missing in America." It was featured at the Northampton Independent Film Festival, which presented Zoe with the best new actress award. The film is an actor's film. Danny Glover's best performance since To Sleep With Anger. But Zoe is amazing in her first movie part, playing an Amero-Vietnamese girl who is left with a Vietnam Vet, played by Glover. It is a disturbing film about the effects of war on many of my generation, and there were some very appreciative Vietnam vets in the audience. Zoe lives in nearby Amherst and discussed her role after the screening. One of the vets handed her a letter he had written his Mom from Vietnam. He had the same nickname in Nam as one of the characters in the film, Dink, which comes from the Vietnamese term for "crazy." You could tell the film meant a lot to him. While the film reminds us of the ongoing personal damage of the combat experience, it is also a healing film, and Zoe carries the healing power of a child's innocence with subtle grace throughout the film. Everyone should see this film.

Tom Gardner Amherst, MA

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Touching, effective film, 31 July 2005

Author: otac-1 from United States

I saw Missing in America at the Woods Hole Film Festival this past weekend. Danny Glover gives his finest dramatic performance ever in this role. Zoe Weizenbaum gives an outstanding premiere performance, standing up well to Glover and evidencing a lot of natural ability. The rest of the cast blends well. The location is beautiful, shot in British Columbia...The film is especially poignant, reminding us of the trauma that the Vietnam War inflicted on its participants and raising questions about what might be coming as soldiers return from places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

I hope this film makes a theatrical release...I think a lot of people would like to see it.

Terrific.

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