Megan is Missing has received heavy attention and criticism after surging in popularity recently, but what exactly is this film about? And why has the film’s director stated he did not provide audiences with sufficient warning about the content of his film?. Written, directed, and co-produced by Michael Goi, this film is based around several real-life stories of child abductions..

The movie revolves around the days leading up to the disappearance of a young girl, Megan Stewart, and her best friend Amy Herman. Megan is a popular high schooler from North Hollywood, who had been interacting with a boy online. They decided to meet up. After she meets up with this mysterious boy, named Josh, she goes missing. This leaves her best friend, Amy, with the task of finding out what happened to her. 

The film, which had been shot in a short period of ten days, has been ‘canceled’ and criticized for its depiction of minors (which, some say is  sexualizing and thus highly inappropriate), , poor acting, and gory content. New Zealand took a step further and banned Megan is Missing, with  their Office of Film and Literature Classification stating: “The feature depicts sexual violence and sexual conduct involving young people to such an extent and degree, and in such a manner, that the availability of the publication is likely to be injurious to the public good.”

On a popular video streaming app, the Megan is Missing hashtag has over 110 million views. Goi was shocked when Amber Perkins, the lead actress, texted him saying that his movie is going ‘crazy’ on the app.. Goi issued a warning addressing people about how gory this film is on November 15 also mentioning that he didn’t expect his film to go so viral several years after it came out, and he wasn’t able to warn people before they watched it like he used to.

It’s important to know that this film is very disturbing and is not for everyone, it has very graphic scenes and upsets many of its viewers. I advise that if this film sounds appealing to you, to understand that it can be very unsettling. The film revolves around several touchy topics and involves nudity.