The Last of Us actor Riley stars in one of the funniest movies of 2023

Our last There were a lot of episodes focusing on supporting characters in the first season, which means a lot happy guest actor turn on for only one hour at a time. This week’s episode focuses on Ellie’s past and her friendship with a girl named Riley, which means it’s time for guest actor Storm Reid to shine.

In Reid’s hands, Riley is stubborn, capable and intelligent, if not a bit impulsive, and can be too quick to trust an organization she may not fully understand. Even more impressive in this episode, Reid is able to bring out a kind of silent, deep-seated vulnerability that helps us better understand her relationship with Ellie, and see more clearly all the ways Riley was in her head, even if she herself had only a vague idea of ​​that truth. But that kind of fun and layered performance isn’t a surprise, because Reid has had a pretty interesting career that includes A wrinkle in time, Ivisible man, Happinessand even Missing, one of the best movies of 2023 so far.

Missing is the spiritual successor for 2018 Searching, but it’s not a direct sequel; it’s more like an anthology. The film follows June (Reid), who discovers that her mother has gone missing after vacationing in Colombia with her shady new boyfriend. June immediately gets into action and does everything she can to find her mother and uncover a larger conspiracy that could lead to her disappearance.

What makes Missing so unique that it takes place almost entirely within the confines of the computer screen. Characters chat via FaceTime, chats are captured on webcam, and June’s primary method of snooping includes very precise Google searches and some great social media investigations.

Image: Sony Pictures

The format makes the film’s mystery unique and completely changes the pacing you might expect from a traditional horror movie, but it also poses a tough challenge for Reid as most of the time. All of her acting is voiced or filtered through a secondary screen. To demonstrate how compelling she can be as an actress, she deftly handles the challenge whether it’s a phone call with her mother’s suspiciously motivated lawyer. she used to process a wide range of emotions through a photo booth app that opened the wrong way.

Little by little the same curiosity and ability was shown during Reid’s time as Riley in Our last episode 7, also. Reid makes it easy to navigate through the complicated maze of Riley’s character, like the way she explores the mall to begin with, why is she will join fireflies, and why it’s so important to her to share the night with Ellie and get her involved, even if she can’t say any of it out loud or explain it herself. Reid gives the character an extraordinary kind of confidence that both believe in uncertainty and competence, making her feel like the perfect match for a similarly gentler version of Ellie.

To say more about the series, or how good and interesting Reid is in it, would spoil some of the best episodes of the series, but can say for sure if you enjoyed this week’s episode of the series. . Our last, Missing is a silly and interesting mystery well worth your time.

Missing It’s currently showing in theaters and will likely arrive on Netflix sometime later this year.