“Missing,” by the creative team behind the 2018 picture “Searching,” is a taut mystery with many twists and revelations. Showing images that appear only on the screens of devices, the movie ratchets up the suspense scene by scene. Believable performances and a great supporting character augment the action.

Before the showing of this film, the principals appeared on screen to request that reviewers and audience members not reveal any of the secrets or surprises of the story. So I will abide by that appeal in summarizing the picture.

The first scene is a film clip of a young June (Ava Zaria Lee) with her father James (Tim Griffin). They are playing with the camera when her mother Grace (Nia Long) enters the room. The action ends after her father develops a nosebleed.

A series of images appear on screen. Some of these involve mentions of a brain tumor. The implication is that James died of this condition.

An older June (Storm Reid) is a soon-to-be eighteen-year-old who is in an oppositional relationship with her mother. June now engages in the most minimal of communication with Grace.

Part of the problem is that Grace has found love again with a new boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung). They are in the process of getting ready to go on a trip to Cartagena, Colombia.

This will leave June alone for a few days. Heather (Amy Landecker), a friend and lawyer, is supposed to check up on June while Grace is away.

June of course stages a huge party at her house. After receiving some photos from Kevin that show her mother enjoying herself in Colombia, communication ceases.

Becoming concerned, June contacts the hotel only to be told that Kevin and Grace checked out. They have security cameras so she contacts U.S. representatives in Colombia to get them to access the tapes.

There is red tape involved. So June goes on TaskRabbit to find someone to go to the hotel and get the tapes themselves before they are recorded over in the 48-hour time limit. She finds Javi (Joaquim de Almeida) in Cartagena to go obtain the tapes.

Soon a series of startling discoveries and revelations will shake up June’s world as she knows it.

“Searching,” the 2018 precursor to “Missing,” was like a breath of fresh air with its innovative technique. Using only images from devices and video apps, it required a higher level of attention to the screen. Yet it was surprisingly easy to follow even with scenes of extensive typing and clicking.

While “Searching” was a cinematic revolution, its successor “Missing” cannot make the same claim. “Missing” does, however, illustrate the validity of the approach of using screen images only. It stands on its own merits in effectively utilizing the technique to create suspense and drive the story.

One of the most engaging aspects of using only screen images is its educational use. You can see how to guess passwords and how to use “forgot my password” to access someone else’s account. By using TaskRabbit and FaceTime, new users to these apps can gain some familiarity in how they operate. The use of language-translation sites demonstrates how to cope with talking live with someone from another country.

Due to plot twists, I can only gloss over the use of the Internet to access archival information. In addition, resources for dealing with certain life situations are presented that may be useful to others in the same difficulties.

The scenes in Cartagena are skillfully crafted to offer little vignettes of the city’s appeal. There is a bridge, for example, where couples bring locks to attach to commemorate their love. Seeing a vibrant municipality is a nice contrast to June’s somewhat claustrophobic house in metro Los Angeles. It also provides wonderful texture to the story.

The script is very well-written. The initial scenes of mother-daughter tension were somewhat boring and uninteresting. But once the disappearance happens the twists amp up the suspense. Just when you think that you have figured out where the plot is going based on the latest revelation, the story turns in another direction with yet another surprise.

Storm Reid does a good job as June in portraying the sullen teenager who is in conflict with her mother. I may not have cared for this type of character, but that does not diminish her skill in the portrayal. As the story progresses, she gets to experience a range not only of emotions but also of growth as she learns to deal with what reality dishes out to her.

The other find of this movie is Joaquim de Almeida as Javi. His presence injects a wonderful sense of humanity into the film. As he and June become more involved in the permutations of the story, their relationship becomes a highlight of the film.

Since I saw “Missing” on the big screen, I cannot be sure how it will translate to a smaller medium such as television. Will it be more difficult to follow the action of typing on screen, for example?

This is a well-crafted, suspenseful movie. I do not feel that it strains credulity at all even given all the twists and turns the story goes through.

Four out of five stars

From the minds behind Searching comes Missing, a thrilling roller-coaster mystery that makes you wonder how well you know those closest to you.

When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it’s too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers…and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.

Cast: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, with Daniel Henney and Nia Long
Directed by: Will Merrick and Nick Johnson
Screenplay by: Will Merrick & Nick Johnson
Story by: Sev Ohanian & Aneesh Chaganty