Less a suspense drama or mystery thriller, A Girl Missing unfolds as an oblique, elliptical character study, a complex, often contradictory exploration of the devastating consequences of Ichiko’s relationship with Tatsuo, the kidnapped girl’s family, and Ichiko’s seemingly isolated decision to keep her connection to Tatsuo a secret from the kidnapped girl’s family or everyone else around her.
When we first meet Ichiko, however, she’s living under an assumed name, Uchida Risa, awkwardly flirting with her hairdresser, Yoneda Kazumichi (Ikematsu Sosuke), and living in an isolated flat devoid of furniture. She’s turned voyeur, peering through the window at Kazumichi and his girlfriend, Motoko (Ichikawa Mikako), the kidnapped girl’s older sister and a onetime friend or acquaintance of Ichiko’s from her former, abruptly canceled life.