Missing Pieces

Oftentimes when an up-and-coming director sets out to make a feature film with an ultralow budget, the goal is to make a movie that takes place in as few locations as possible, with as few characters as possible, and with the minimum acceptable running time of ninety minutes (Reservoir Dogs and Clerks both come to mind). First time filmmaker Kenton Bartlett, however, seems to have done quite the opposite with Missing Pieces, which takes place in multiple states across the US, with a cast of nearly fifty and a running time just shy of two hours.

Missing Pieces tells the story of David, a mentally unstable man trying desperately to get back together with Delia, the woman he loves. In a vague attempt to reconcile their relationship, David concocts and executes a scheme to kidnap two lonely souls and force them to fall in love. He puts them through a series of bizarre situations, each with its own set of instructions that they must follow to the letter, ultimately forcing them to depend upon each other for survival.

Instantly the movie Saw comes to mind, given the premise. But this is a far cry from the gruesome bloodbath that Saw was. The film has laughs, but it is not a comedy. It is thrilling at times, but it is not a thriller. It has action, but it is not an action movie. If you were to look for this film at your local video store, I wouldn’t know what genre to tell you to look under, but it’s definitely worth looking for until you find it.