Reviews
Next Projection
"Films like Missing Pieces are the antidote [to the lack of quality in American Cinema]... This is an astonishing work... a bold new voice in independent filmmaking... a well-oiled machine... Missing Pieces is not just some simple kidnapping thriller, but a powerful exploration of characters, relationships, and emotions... Striking from the outset... unanimously exquisite performances... Missing Pieces is a proud testament to every last ounce of love which went into its production."
The Independent Film Critic
"Missing Pieces is a mesmerizing and poignant indie drama… a journey that leaves you completely in awe… nothing short of amazing… masterful... wholly satisfying… Missing Pieces is a film for the true fan of cinema… If there's any justice in the world, Boone will see his name when next year's Independent Spirit Award nominations are announced."
Advance Screenings
"Mark Boone Junior [gives] a commanding performance… stunning backdrops that belong on an IMAX screen… this film [reminds] me why I love cinema so much… the most interesting story I've seen in years... once you start putting the pieces together, you'll be hooked and trapped until the ending credits"
Cinematic Method
"Overall, I could not be more impressed with this indie production. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end, enveloped in the complex characters, the deep emotion, the intricate plot, and the beautiful direction and cinematography. I can only hope that Missing Pieces gets the attention it deserves."
Sonic Cinema
"An unexpected four-star film is the intelligent and moving character drama, 'Missing Pieces.' Written and directed with inventiveness and emotion… Of all of the films I've been sent by filmmakers over the past five years, this is unquestionably one of the best. I hope it finds the audience it deserves."
Magic City Post
"Quite possibly the best film of [this year]… Do not miss it… Missing Pieces truly deserves recognition on a broader scale… The movie is an oxymoron, tense and relaxing, heartbreaking and uplifting. It is a love story, a thriller, and a drama…. It's one of the most poignant films I've seen in quite some time."
Hollywood Soapbox
"Missing Pieces: The best movie you've probably never seen... a precious gem worthy of a larger audience... a touching portrait of wayward lives in search of connection... a startlingly put-together debut feature that boasts impressive acting, a clever story and slick look... it feels purely organic... sweet and romantic... Somehow, despite its far-fetched plot, it finds a palpable humanity"
Criticize This
"Missing Pieces is a film that quite rightfully deserves a larger audience… original… quite a treat… refreshingly free of standard "indie" movie conventions… Boone Jr. gives an incredibly layered performance… one of the most stunningly photographed pieces of low budget narrative filmmaking I have seen in years."
Film Crave
"Missing Pieces manages to resonate with me far more than anything I've seen in local theaters in recent memory... I put off watching this for far longer than I should have… brilliant… soulful… This is what's "Missing" in Hollywood."
Flickering Myth
"Words don't do Missing Pieces justice… a hidden gem… remarkable… I was literally blown away… I did not want it to end"
After the Rest
"Missing Pieces is an astonishingly ambitious film that… somehow pulls everything together to create a very moving and sweet final product… beautiful… gets better every minute… it has a purpose."
Flowers Flix
"Every once in a while we stumble across an otherwise unknown gem... a gripping piece of art... This is not your run of the mill movie... Yeah- it's weird. But it's also extraordinarily moving... wholly cathartic... everyone involved in the production seems to have poured their heart and soul into making the film."
Film Edge
"FilmEdge advises indie film fans not to miss out on Missing Pieces… an emotional jigsaw challenge… an early look at a promising young filmmaker and an immediate appreciation of some fine character work. The project is a highly uncommon, subtly compelling examination of loves lost and found which many will find a welcome antidote to the parade of mindless romcoms endlessly stuffing your local Cineplex"
CineTalk
"This is on my Top 10 of this year… The film has a story to tell and an extraordinary way to tell it… a true American Indie, up there with the Garden States and Lost in Translations of the world… Missing Pieces is a film that needs to be seen… You know that feeling you get when you hear a really good song?... Maybe it's a song you've heard a thousand times before, but for some reason, on this listen, you get it. The song finally makes sense to you and opens your eyes to a new point of view. That is Missing Pieces for me."
The Donnybook Writing Academy
"Stunning… breathtaking… beautifully photographed... outstanding score… blaring originality… it truly succeeds… Mark Boone Junior and Melora Walters were excellent as always… the performances were outstanding… it works perfectly… it's definitely worth looking for until you find it."
A Nutshell Review
"A powerful love story… fresh and original… beautiful landscapes… this independent production looked more like a million dollars than the 80K spent."
Best for Film
"Missing Pieces is ultimately a well-crafted, sweet-natured little film with a few neat twists and turns along the way… strange, romantic, thoughtful, touching and creepy all at once... an undoubtedly impressive debut... Missing Pieces truly shines"
Cinema 365
"Love is not the easiest thing in the world to understand or come to grips with [and] sometimes we have to go to extraordinary lengths to figure out why… if you take a chance on this movie and give it a viewing you may well be pleasantly surprised… well-acted with a story that is unique and compelling… If you love movies, this is a film after your own heart."
Battleship Pretension
"[The beautiful cinematography], along with a lovely score and a heavy presence of lyrical editing form to create a mood of languid, almost comforting, sadness that is sustained admirably for the film's nearly two hour run time… This is a film well worth the time investment, not only because it's a good movie in itself but because supporting it could help the filmmakers to create more good movies. There's enough promise in Missing Pieces to make the idea of future projects a very enticing one"
AL.com
"You will be hooked... it's certainly intriguing. The aesthetics alone grab you immediately. Beautifully shot and colored, the film draws you into the characters from its onset."
Lost in Reviews
"Written and directed with inventiveness and emotion… [this film has a] warm, romantic soul that keeps you glued to the screen even as the narrative goes off into truly unexpected areas… a beautiful testament to how two people come to care about one another… takes clichéd scenarios, and puts them together in a fresh and uniquely lovely manner. Of all of the films I've been sent by filmmakers over the past five years, this is unquestionably one of the best. I hope it finds the audience it deserves."
Temple of Reviews
"Missing Pieces wrestles with the big questions of life, love, identity, and morality; and it does so in a pretty thought provoking manner. It asks the question of what happens when we put our own personal puzzles together and find that there are pieces missing. Can we stand to be beings with gaping holes at our center? Will we be able to accept imperfection in ourselves?"
Flick Feast
"An accomplished and powerful debut… many points worth praising… excellent… earnest… unique… original… impressive… worthy of your time… a joy to watch… on a par with many movies directed by people with a lot more experience… The fantastic Mark Boone Jr. gets the lead role here (and the film deserves bonus points for that decisions alone, in my view)… The acting from Mark Boone Jr. and Melora Walters is superb."
Screen Spotlight
"Missing Pieces is a far cry from the ordinary Hollywood picture. It is terrifically crafted, well-directed, persuasively acted, and the music is depressingly lovely."
The Fan Carpet
"It's a sincere and poignant feature film… honest and touching… emotionally charged… easy to connect with… aesthetically pleasing… you really felt this was a passion project… Boone Junior shines in the role of tragic David."
Spling Movies
"Missing Pieces channels creativity, emotion and heart… original, thought-provoking and ultimately optimistic… more engaging than your average Hollywood movie… the performances are solid… Missing Pieces is poetic… unique… haunting… melancholic yet hopeful… real emotion."
Secret Agent Gal
"Mind-bending originality… impressively crafted… sparse, strong dialogue… Boone Junior creates an arresting portrait of despair and hope that anchors the film… loneliness becomes tangible… fascinating… this is a film worth seeing for its rich storytelling, challenging and original premise, and compassionate vision."
Nights and Weekends
"Missing Pieces is a sweet and darkly beautiful little puzzle—a worthwhile indie exploring the mysteries of love… a captivating love story told under strange circumstances… surprisingly moving… moviegoers who stick to major releases are missing out on those worthwhile little indies [like] Missing Pieces"
Exclaim
"Missing Pieces feels like a labor of love right from the start… ambitious… heartfelt… as yet unreleased, Missing Pieces deserves to be seen"
Past the Popcorn
"It all gels and clicks… [Boone and Melora] are solid professionals turning in A-list work here... Both at the scripting and direction levels, Bartlett takes his cues from his filmmaking idols—and lives up to them… This is a film that Bartlett's idols would, I think, admire—for its trueness to life, its passion, its resolute artiness, its humanity, and its understanding of emotion and the artistic impulse. This is a ultimately a cosmic love story… about how love works its way out in a divine and mysterious fashion."
Film Threat
"Ambitious… inventive… daring… top notch… Jonathan Arturo's cinematography is crisp and inventive, while Richey Rynkowsi's wonderfully non-intrusive score is among the most mature in contemporary cinema. And special kudos goes to Curtis Churn for maintaining a sophisticated sound-editing environment."
What's Brett Watching?
"Missing Pieces is an original and often-bizarre take on what it means to love somebody… tells an unusual story in an interesting way… an intriguing mystery… satisfying… thoughtful and lovely… truly beautiful… lack of pretension… well-crafted and admirable… a level of technical excellence that, quite frankly, shocked me... Mark Boone Jr.'s strong lead performance is layered, subtle, and soulful."
4 Star Blog
"Looking for an indie flick that's outside the normal a girl, a gun, and a suitcase full of money plot? Missing Pieces might be your ticket... Love it or hate it you saw somebody's passion coming out on the screen and we definitely don't get to see that every day."
Movie Blogbuster
"This is the first feature for the young director and is a very good start to a hopefully long and prosperous career... brilliant... It is at these moments where you feel that Kenton is on the right track to success."
Mr. T's Blog
"Missing Pieces is a fantastic film… cutting close to the core of a whole range of emotional truths. It's modern and gripping, clever and well executed… the quality is evident and it deserves a general release… This film deserves to be discussed."
Telluride Film Blog
"Refreshing… You'll be amazed… [Mark Boone Jr. gives] a sharp performance in a challenging role... [that] makes you want to stay with his journey."
The Cleveland Movie Blog
"It's quite an achievement… amazingly professional… beautiful cinematography… a strong cast… It's great to see Boone in the spotlight for a change, and he makes the most of the opportunity… It's a pretty bizarre premise that could easily feel contrived, but writer/director Kenton Bartlett manages to sell it."
SON:sation
"Incredible… powerful… aesthetically pleasing… this a community film project that we can learn much from… it earns my respect… one of a kind… Melora Walters gave a very good poignant and bittersweet dilemma-driven performance… Likewise for Mark Boone Junior…. fantastic."
Movie Buzzers
"Amazing concept… The strongest part of the film is the lead character, David, played with tenderness by Mark Boone Jr… in this film, he brings an innocence and sweetness to the character that really got me to root for him"
Lamar's Movie Palace
"Relentlessly original… thoughtful… uplifting… and downright creepy… it never stops being compelling… impressive… astonishing production value… you'd really never know Missing Pieces cost any less than any typical indie at its ambition level… This is a movie that could actually make some noise on the art house circuit…"