Review of Missing Child Videotape (2024) – Not Just About a Missing Child

 

Missing Child Videotape | 2024 | 1h 44m
Genre: Folk Horror / Found Footage Horror / Supernatural Horror / Drama / Horror / Mystery | Country: Japan
Director: Ryota Kondo | Writers: Suzuyuki Kaneko, Ryota Kondo
Cast: Takashi Fujii, Amon Hirai, Kokoro Morita
IMDb: 5.4
My Rate: 7/10

The memory of his younger sibling’s disappearance in the past pushes Keita to make up for his guilt by helping in various searches for missing children in the mountains. His consistent involvement actually draws media attention, and without realizing it, slowly opens up a dark side that has long been hidden.

Warning:

Contains scenes of suicide

 

Synopsis:

Keita receives a package from his mother after returning from helping with a search for a missing child in the forest. Inside is a VHS tape containing footage from the day his sibling disappeared. He decides to watch the video again with his roommate, Tsukasa, who has supernatural abilities.

Keita’s involvement in various missing person cases attracts media attention. Mikoto, a reporter, tries to interview him and dig into his past, including the unresolved mystery of his sibling’s disappearance. A mystery that catches her interest.

Driven by the old recording, Keita returns to his hometown to search for answers at Mount Mashiro, accompanied by Tsukasa. Meanwhile, Mikoto accidentally discovers a series of other cases that once happened on that mountain—clues that may be connected to the mysterious building where Keita’s sibling was last seen.

Will they uncover the truth that has long been hidden?

Review:

Cases of people going missing or getting lost in the forest are nothing new. Many similar incidents have happened, with causes that sometimes lie beyond logic. This is the idea brought up by Missing Child Videotape by Ryota Kondo. Not in the form of jump-scare horror, but a quiet and slowly cutting kind of terror.

The story opens with a scene that seems simple, yet directly connected to the main conflict. Keita successfully finds a missing child, but at the end of their meeting, the child whispers “big brother” into his ear. Memories of his sibling resurface, reopening an old wound that has never healed. The appearance of the VHS tape afterward further strengthens the foundation of the mystery built from the start.

The characters are introduced gradually: Keita with his guilt, Tsukasa with supernatural abilities that disturb him, and Mikoto as a reporter driven by curiosity. Their relationships develop naturally without feeling forced.

The conflict rises slowly. The disappearance of Keita’s sibling becomes the doorway to a bigger mystery about the mountain. But the conflict does not only come from outside. The pressure from parents who have not fully accepted reality, Tsukasa’s fear of his own abilities, and Mikoto’s urge to reveal the truth even though it cannot be published, all show the wounds they quietly carry.

The resolution is handled quite neatly, though it does not feel fully satisfying. The revealed mystery does not leave a strong emotional impact, and each character’s ending still feels somewhat lacking.

Concept-wise, this film is interesting. But in execution, there are details that are not fully optimized. The bell scene at the beginning, for example, is given quite a big spotlight but does not have significant impact in the end. The same goes for Mikoto’s background and the alarm she always carries—character depth that is not fully explored.

Tsukasa’s ability could actually have been used as a more visually explorative strength. If the audience had been given a clearer point of view from his perspective, the understanding of his character might have felt more complete.

The narration about the mountain’s mystery delivered by the inn owner’s child also feels less strong. Instead of expanding the mystery, this part feels less connected to the main conflict.

Even though the pacing is slow and might feel boring for some viewers, the film remains interesting to follow. The cast delivers fairly solid performances, while the camera movements, transitions, and music choices support the atmosphere it aims to build.

In the end, Missing Child Videotape is not just a story about a missing child, but about guilt that never truly leaves and a much bigger mystery. The film chooses to move slowly, building its mood through silence and the inner wounds of its characters. Even if not all its potential is fully explored, it still leaves behind a strange feeling—an unease that does not scream, but lingers long after the story ends.

 

Impressive Scene:

One of the most impressive scenes in Missing Child Videotape is when Tsukasa finally reveals the secret he has been keeping. He had actually known that Keita’s sibling had long been dead, after seeing the apparition around Keita. But he chose to stay silent so as not to deepen his friend’s guilt and grief.

This scene feels very close to reality. Not a few people hide painful truths to protect the ones they love. Even though often, reality—no matter how harsh—is more comforting than a lie that only postpones the wound.

 

Impressive Dialogue:

“Please find him quickly.”

 

Ending:

Bittersweet Ending

 

Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

(Aluna)