Early in the film "Girl Missing," there is a scene in which the main character Jane receives news that sounds virtually miraculous. Jane has been raised in a foster home after being discovered in a ditch as a child. But she has amnesia, and, fifteen years later, she is unable to recall any details from her past.
Then, out of the blue, a social worker relates to her that a woman has come forward to claim that Jane is her lost daughter Savannah. When Jane is invited to the family home, the social worker urges her to wait until the DNA results are back. But Jane insists on going right way. At this point, the audience is nearly screaming at the TV, "DON'T GO, JANE!!!!" Alas, this is a Lifetime picture, and Jane impulsively visits the home!
When Jane arrives at the home, she discovers an enormous estate in northern Minnesota. For Jane, something does not seem right with her mother, Sylvia, and her husband, Carlo, who had married Sylvia a couple of years after the apparent suicide of Sylvia's husband, Robert. Carlo seems especially sleazy, and Jane's boyfriend, Finch, does some internet research to learn that Carlo is a gigolo with a shady and suspicious past.
By the midpoint of the film, the narrative turns into a predictable horror story. Jane is now trapped in the estate with the roads closed and no cell phone reception. Her only ally is the maid Theresa, who helped to rear the infant Jane. But it is not clear if Theresa will be loyal to Jane or to Sylvia and Carlo.
By the end of the film, the action has petered out to the degree that there is no longer any mystery or suspense. One of the most cheezy choices of the filmmakers was to include a supernatural little girl who appears in the minds of both Jane and Sylvia. That artistic choice was emblematic of the lame attempts made of the filmmakers to send shivers up the spines of the audience. Still, the excellent performance of the actress playing Jane made this film slightly above average as an offering in the mystery-thriller-horror genre.
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