A very well produced movie, the cinematography wonderfully presented and the subject matter gripping. Being a long follower of the missing 411 work, I was excited to see the product of all the research and strange circumstances surrounding individuals who inexplicably vanished. The film introduces the phenomena well and sets up a documentary which you immediately can not turn away from. I looked forward to the interviews shown in the trailer but found these did not make the final cut, a little disappointing considering Paulides and George Knapp have so much to say on the subject. The film pivots around one single case which to be fair is very interesting, if not a little shady. Some would comment a huge amount of suspicion around the case which for me personally left me wanting the film to move on from this and present other cases mentioned in the books those being the main profile that make David's work so compelling: K9 scents, folded clothes, missing shoes, change of weather, the impossibility of locations, boulder fields the list goes on. The film touches on this ever so briefly but I feel nothing presented in this documentary is a classic missing 411 event. However it is a very interesting film and I hope the start of a running set of films which will open up the whole Missing 411 enigma. Well done to everybody involved and continue this fantastic research. A brilliant effort.
50 Reviews
Beautifully shot, well presented, but a bit short-sighted...
transientdreams26 June 2017
1. Yes, I DO recommend people see this documentary! 2. It deserves high marks for attempting what no others ever have before. 3. The camera work is truly stellar. 4. I'm going to be painfully honest about why it really missed it's mark.
In all fairness, it does great justice to the Deorr Kunz case, and it's a good vehicle to fully feel and understand the powerful sense of loss that Jaryd Atadero has had to cope with all these years. What might be the issue here for a lot of people(Me included) is that it tries too hard to emphasize those 2 cases ALONE(especially Deorr's) at the expense of other, extremely important cases that are not only similar, but also as poignant. I believe I understand the 'style' of documentary that Michael and Ben were trying to put together here, but it simply falls a bit flat throughout, and tends to also ramble in places where it should be moving on to other cases rather than backtracking with the same depth and heartfelt emotion. I also do NOT think adding voice-overs from C2C shows brought anything worthwhile of relevance to this project. Going back over and over and returning to a subject that has seemingly been covered already is also distracting and often frustrating to watch. Personally, I believe documentaries that do that tend to lose people's interest quickly because it takes you back rather than moving you progressively forward.
Nonetheless, it's important enough that people should take the time to see it. And I DO hope the next one, assuming there will be one, will hit people in the gut like Paulides' interviews often do. Bullet-point facts back-to-back, less mellow-drama and over-emphasis than we saw here,and a lot more emphasis on the MYSTERY, the boulder fields, the extreme similarities of cases, the possible paranormal aspects(as in the kid who refused to poop for his robot grandma), the international cases, and Mr. David Paulides himself in front of the camera speaking to us directly occasionally.
That would REALLY do it for me...
In all fairness, it does great justice to the Deorr Kunz case, and it's a good vehicle to fully feel and understand the powerful sense of loss that Jaryd Atadero has had to cope with all these years. What might be the issue here for a lot of people(Me included) is that it tries too hard to emphasize those 2 cases ALONE(especially Deorr's) at the expense of other, extremely important cases that are not only similar, but also as poignant. I believe I understand the 'style' of documentary that Michael and Ben were trying to put together here, but it simply falls a bit flat throughout, and tends to also ramble in places where it should be moving on to other cases rather than backtracking with the same depth and heartfelt emotion. I also do NOT think adding voice-overs from C2C shows brought anything worthwhile of relevance to this project. Going back over and over and returning to a subject that has seemingly been covered already is also distracting and often frustrating to watch. Personally, I believe documentaries that do that tend to lose people's interest quickly because it takes you back rather than moving you progressively forward.
Nonetheless, it's important enough that people should take the time to see it. And I DO hope the next one, assuming there will be one, will hit people in the gut like Paulides' interviews often do. Bullet-point facts back-to-back, less mellow-drama and over-emphasis than we saw here,and a lot more emphasis on the MYSTERY, the boulder fields, the extreme similarities of cases, the possible paranormal aspects(as in the kid who refused to poop for his robot grandma), the international cases, and Mr. David Paulides himself in front of the camera speaking to us directly occasionally.
That would REALLY do it for me...
Best Watched Before Reading the Book
coffeebot-925-16362610 March 2019
To date I've listened to all the Coast to Coast radio interviews and as many other interviews with David Paulides as possible. I wanted to see the doc so badly after hearing him answer questions, appear on Youtube, but I was somewhat disappointed.
This book series lends itself more to a whole Missing 411 series on Netflix or Hulu rather than a single doc. There are so many interesting cases, and David has a knack of walking you through the facts without inserting interpretation.
One of the lasting outcomes of his work will be a national database and the accountability of the National Park Service, an organization I fully admire. This doc does not reveal the level of obfuscation that they have put forth, leading to wild speculation.
The mystery of missing people alone is worth watching this but it doesn't do the book series justice. Perhaps no single doc could. So, maybe we'll see a series in the future.
This book series lends itself more to a whole Missing 411 series on Netflix or Hulu rather than a single doc. There are so many interesting cases, and David has a knack of walking you through the facts without inserting interpretation.
One of the lasting outcomes of his work will be a national database and the accountability of the National Park Service, an organization I fully admire. This doc does not reveal the level of obfuscation that they have put forth, leading to wild speculation.
The mystery of missing people alone is worth watching this but it doesn't do the book series justice. Perhaps no single doc could. So, maybe we'll see a series in the future.
children who go missing
killercharm8 July 2020
Documentary about children who go missing in national parklands. It's intriguing and heartbreaking. For some reason this director seems to believe in every crypto possibility there is. The flick is fashioned to point to an ET or crypto type answer to all of the mysteries surrounding these deaths. So sad but not believable.
A true head scratching mystery.
medwards-8526329 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
First of all let us start with David Paulides the creative force behind this documentary.
This is a man who has dedicated himself to research, and as someone who has an academic, masters degree level understanding of how to conduct research, but also a twenty year history of serving as a police officer to back up that classroom understanding with street level experience.
I have been following his work for several years now, although unfortunately I have never been able to get his books. As he always is quick to point out, don't buy his books on sites such as this, but instead you can buy them from CanAm Missing 411 Project website where they are reasonably priced for anyone living in the US. For myself, as someone from UK, the price of shipping comes into it, I can't really justify that.
He has thus far written ten books related to this subject (Missing 411 - Eastern United States: Unexplained Disappearances of North Americans That Have Never Been Solved (2012) Missing 411 - Western United States & Canada: Unexplained Disappearances of North Americans that have never been solved (2012) Missing 411 - North America and Beyond (2013) Missing 411 - The Devil's in the Details (2014) Missing 411 - A Sobering Coincidence (2015) Missing 411 - Hunters (2016) Missing 411 - Off the Grid (2017) Missing 411 - Law (2018) Missing 411 - Canada (2019) Missing 411 - Montana (2020) )
However, for years I was sustained by those people who had recorded his guest slots on radio shows such as Coast to Coast, and then in more recent years by his own YouTube channel.
He has made and released two feature length documentaries, this one, and a follow up in 2019 called Missing 411: The Hunted, exploring a subset of these mysterious disappearances concerning armed and experienced hunters. A third feature length documentary, Missing 411: The UFO Connection, has been made, and yet to be released (I believe it is coming out 13th December 2022).
There are many people that will instantly discount Paulides work as that of a conspiracy theorist, although he himself would counter that, in his many books and in his documentaries he himself does not offer a theory as to what is causing this. This, I feel, is a little sophistry on his part. He does, after all, discount a number of possible plausible explanations for these disappearances, and leaves us with an unanswered enigma as to what is the real cause for this phenomena, whilst heavily hinting that the root cause gives evidence of paranormal or advanced scientific abilities and has an intelligent design to its implementation. It is rather difficult to watch/listen (and I presume read) his work without coming to the conclusion that SOME sinister conspiracy is at work. Just because he does not actually state what that is, does not absolve him of working in the conspiracy theory ballpark, or at the very least in a concession stand in the concourse.
That being said, I do believe that his research is thorough and exacting, and that he has unearthed some level of at the very best woeful incompetence from National Park/Forest service employees to not be transparent with the data on missing people in their territories. At worst there is some kind of bizarre events happening where people repeatedly go missing without any real rational or logical explanation of how it has happened, and why they are either never found, or if they are found are in such distant location from their point of disappearance that is makes no sense whatsoever how they could have gotten from point A to point B in the time frames allowed.
First of all it is necessary to point out that he is careful to dismiss any disappearance that has a criminal connection in any way, anyone who has been noted to have serious mental health problems and is depressed or suicidal and any case where there has been found evidence of foul play either by human or animal attack.
Using a technique learned and honed from his time as a police officer and detective, David Paulides has listed profile points, things that he has found occurring again and again across the body of the many disappearances he has investigated. Case that fit his criteria often happen:
In or very near National Parks/forests Involve either a complete lack of scent trail or there is a scent trail that leads a certain distance and then dogs refuse/cannot track further.
If people are found they often are either too young to explain what happened or have some form of memory loss Berry shrubs are often involved (a lot of people disappear whilst picking berries) People often go missing very near to significant bodies of water There are often boulder fields near to where people go missing (most often large granite areas) Bodies are often found in water or swamps but very often no sign of drowning found during autopsy Bodies found are often missing items of clothing / weapons etc that are never found Young children are often found many, many miles from where they disappeared with no logical explanation how they got that far, often with radical changes in elevation from where they went missing (having gone UP) He has discovered there seem to be 52 areas where disappearances are clustered in the US (although he has found cases in the UK, Australia, France etc etc)
This brings us neatly to this actual documentary. By focusing on children out of the nearly 2000 cases that meet his profile points, Paulides helps us to see what a deep and unnerving mystery this really is. Paulides concentrates on five specific cases that he outlines in very close detail, including one particular mystery that is ongoing at that time.
For instance in one case we are asked to consider how is it reasonably explicable that a young boy goes missing and is found only a few hours later many, many miles away over incredibly rugged mountainous terrain still alive? In this particular case he asks Survivor Man Less Stroud to recreate the journey during the same sort of time scale. Les gives up halfway through, just astounded by the idea that this little boy could have possibly made this journey unaided.
For myself, I might conclude that, at worst, Paulides might be guilty of lumping together several different route causes for this phenomena in order to make the mystery more appealing and draw more attention to this problem. However, even at my harshest, and going though and trying to discount misinterpreted reasons, I can only discount at most half of the stated cases, which still leaves many, many hundred incidents completely without logical explanation. So it becomes a question of scale rather than total miscomprehension.
This first documentary treads a very careful line, giving the audience the choice to buy into the idea there is something genuinely unique and 'paranormal' going on, or try to pick out evidence to support whatever logical conclusion they can assign to the scenarios. In this way, I am lead to believe, it is very much like the way Paulides frames his books, not really ever offering a firm answer himself, just presenting the facts and information to us to make up our own minds.
Some criticism I have seen on here seems to focus on this as an annoying aspect, 'why don't you tell us what is going on?' kind of statement. Paulides in his own words has said numerous times that he genuinely does not know what is going on, all he has is unfounded suppositions, and he will not lay those out in his books/documentaries for fear of being more easily ridiculed and proven wrong.
There is, he attests, something unusual going on, and, looking at the data presented here, it is hard to disagree with that assertion.
Given this is a self-financed, crowd funded type production, the values in terms of how it is made is incredible. This is a slick, thought provoking and at times starkly beautiful documentary, easily worth an hour and a half of your time. If you like head scratching mysteries, then it is harder to find anything more rational but perplexing than these very odd disappearances.
How could it be better? Longer! There are so many more cases he has investigated, personally would have liked to see a few more outlined.
This is a man who has dedicated himself to research, and as someone who has an academic, masters degree level understanding of how to conduct research, but also a twenty year history of serving as a police officer to back up that classroom understanding with street level experience.
I have been following his work for several years now, although unfortunately I have never been able to get his books. As he always is quick to point out, don't buy his books on sites such as this, but instead you can buy them from CanAm Missing 411 Project website where they are reasonably priced for anyone living in the US. For myself, as someone from UK, the price of shipping comes into it, I can't really justify that.
He has thus far written ten books related to this subject (Missing 411 - Eastern United States: Unexplained Disappearances of North Americans That Have Never Been Solved (2012) Missing 411 - Western United States & Canada: Unexplained Disappearances of North Americans that have never been solved (2012) Missing 411 - North America and Beyond (2013) Missing 411 - The Devil's in the Details (2014) Missing 411 - A Sobering Coincidence (2015) Missing 411 - Hunters (2016) Missing 411 - Off the Grid (2017) Missing 411 - Law (2018) Missing 411 - Canada (2019) Missing 411 - Montana (2020) )
However, for years I was sustained by those people who had recorded his guest slots on radio shows such as Coast to Coast, and then in more recent years by his own YouTube channel.
He has made and released two feature length documentaries, this one, and a follow up in 2019 called Missing 411: The Hunted, exploring a subset of these mysterious disappearances concerning armed and experienced hunters. A third feature length documentary, Missing 411: The UFO Connection, has been made, and yet to be released (I believe it is coming out 13th December 2022).
There are many people that will instantly discount Paulides work as that of a conspiracy theorist, although he himself would counter that, in his many books and in his documentaries he himself does not offer a theory as to what is causing this. This, I feel, is a little sophistry on his part. He does, after all, discount a number of possible plausible explanations for these disappearances, and leaves us with an unanswered enigma as to what is the real cause for this phenomena, whilst heavily hinting that the root cause gives evidence of paranormal or advanced scientific abilities and has an intelligent design to its implementation. It is rather difficult to watch/listen (and I presume read) his work without coming to the conclusion that SOME sinister conspiracy is at work. Just because he does not actually state what that is, does not absolve him of working in the conspiracy theory ballpark, or at the very least in a concession stand in the concourse.
That being said, I do believe that his research is thorough and exacting, and that he has unearthed some level of at the very best woeful incompetence from National Park/Forest service employees to not be transparent with the data on missing people in their territories. At worst there is some kind of bizarre events happening where people repeatedly go missing without any real rational or logical explanation of how it has happened, and why they are either never found, or if they are found are in such distant location from their point of disappearance that is makes no sense whatsoever how they could have gotten from point A to point B in the time frames allowed.
First of all it is necessary to point out that he is careful to dismiss any disappearance that has a criminal connection in any way, anyone who has been noted to have serious mental health problems and is depressed or suicidal and any case where there has been found evidence of foul play either by human or animal attack.
Using a technique learned and honed from his time as a police officer and detective, David Paulides has listed profile points, things that he has found occurring again and again across the body of the many disappearances he has investigated. Case that fit his criteria often happen:
In or very near National Parks/forests Involve either a complete lack of scent trail or there is a scent trail that leads a certain distance and then dogs refuse/cannot track further.
If people are found they often are either too young to explain what happened or have some form of memory loss Berry shrubs are often involved (a lot of people disappear whilst picking berries) People often go missing very near to significant bodies of water There are often boulder fields near to where people go missing (most often large granite areas) Bodies are often found in water or swamps but very often no sign of drowning found during autopsy Bodies found are often missing items of clothing / weapons etc that are never found Young children are often found many, many miles from where they disappeared with no logical explanation how they got that far, often with radical changes in elevation from where they went missing (having gone UP) He has discovered there seem to be 52 areas where disappearances are clustered in the US (although he has found cases in the UK, Australia, France etc etc)
This brings us neatly to this actual documentary. By focusing on children out of the nearly 2000 cases that meet his profile points, Paulides helps us to see what a deep and unnerving mystery this really is. Paulides concentrates on five specific cases that he outlines in very close detail, including one particular mystery that is ongoing at that time.
For instance in one case we are asked to consider how is it reasonably explicable that a young boy goes missing and is found only a few hours later many, many miles away over incredibly rugged mountainous terrain still alive? In this particular case he asks Survivor Man Less Stroud to recreate the journey during the same sort of time scale. Les gives up halfway through, just astounded by the idea that this little boy could have possibly made this journey unaided.
For myself, I might conclude that, at worst, Paulides might be guilty of lumping together several different route causes for this phenomena in order to make the mystery more appealing and draw more attention to this problem. However, even at my harshest, and going though and trying to discount misinterpreted reasons, I can only discount at most half of the stated cases, which still leaves many, many hundred incidents completely without logical explanation. So it becomes a question of scale rather than total miscomprehension.
This first documentary treads a very careful line, giving the audience the choice to buy into the idea there is something genuinely unique and 'paranormal' going on, or try to pick out evidence to support whatever logical conclusion they can assign to the scenarios. In this way, I am lead to believe, it is very much like the way Paulides frames his books, not really ever offering a firm answer himself, just presenting the facts and information to us to make up our own minds.
Some criticism I have seen on here seems to focus on this as an annoying aspect, 'why don't you tell us what is going on?' kind of statement. Paulides in his own words has said numerous times that he genuinely does not know what is going on, all he has is unfounded suppositions, and he will not lay those out in his books/documentaries for fear of being more easily ridiculed and proven wrong.
There is, he attests, something unusual going on, and, looking at the data presented here, it is hard to disagree with that assertion.
Given this is a self-financed, crowd funded type production, the values in terms of how it is made is incredible. This is a slick, thought provoking and at times starkly beautiful documentary, easily worth an hour and a half of your time. If you like head scratching mysteries, then it is harder to find anything more rational but perplexing than these very odd disappearances.
How could it be better? Longer! There are so many more cases he has investigated, personally would have liked to see a few more outlined.
Don't let the salty reviewers stop you
szemlo26 June 2017
So, from the moment I found out about the work David Paulides was doing with his books in "The Missing 411" series, my eyes were opened to an extremely bizarre and troubling phenomenon. People have been going missing in clusters around the country with mysterious circumstances and a large percentage are in national parks, and the parks system doesn't keep (or at least release) database information about these people??? This is what I believe is the true focus of this film and all of the books... to warn people of the potential danger that clearly exists but is being downplayed. We're not imagining these people missing... the information Paulides presents in the books and movies is from actual newspaper articles, police reports and witness testimony. so to give this film a bad rating because of completely unrelated situations, opinions, and unsubstantiated claims is to completely miss the point and do a disservice to the true purpose of the movie and books. Sure, we all were hoping for a ton of the thought provoking case profiles in the books to be presented, but that just logically could not happen in a 1.5 to 2 hour long film. If we really care about the people who have gone missing and their families and anyone who will potentially go missing in the future, we need to get over ourselves and help promote this movie so attention will be drawn where attention is severely needed. My heart goes out to the families that have suffered through the unthinkable, and I hope this movie and the other work Paulides is doing will honor them by bringing that much needed attention. I too selfishly wanted more, but maybe positively promoting this film will get me more sequels to satisfy my selfishness (and subsequently bring even more attention to the lost!)
God bless.
God bless.
Not as Bad as I thought it would be...no real mystery.
Johnny_Young27 August 2020
I'm familiar with and not a fan of the books and based on that, I thought this would be terrible.
I was intrigued by the cases shown in this documentary because of the human element and the impact it has on people involved in the search and families.
I also enjoyed the film touching on the hindrance of social media to grieving families.
It's enough to say that exploring nature can be dangerous and disorientating especially for a small child. Experienced hikers, mountaineers, hunters and guides are also among those who go missing each year and rather than add to the mystery of it all, I felt that just says more about our fragility as human beings and our ability to make mistakes, especially when exposed to the elements.
A heartfelt movie
robinhenault-5371326 June 2017
I've read books and listened to many interviews. This movie has captured the raw emotion of the families effected by these strange disappearances and offered so much more with the interviews of people involved. Having such a well-respected wilderness expert explain things as he did really drive it home. There's nothing more precious than a child and I hope this movie helps to make people aware of how quickly a child can disappear. Great movie!
Just awful!
Phoenixcasa16 June 2017
This documentary was supposed to be about strange and unexplained disappearances. Instead we got one family's quite sketchy account of what happened to their son. A few other unrelated cases were thrown in haphazardly. It was extremely disappointing as I watched it with a room full of people who shrugged and said "Kids wander off it happens." There was no details (berries, extreme weather, German heritage, dogs behaving strangely) that makes Missing 411 so intriguing.
On another note the makers of this film are rude and unprofessional. I have observed them been extremely rude to people asking genuine questions about run time, compatibility with DVD's, and shipping etc.
The worst part is they are removing and blocking anyone who doesn't leave a positive review of the movie!!!
On another note the makers of this film are rude and unprofessional. I have observed them been extremely rude to people asking genuine questions about run time, compatibility with DVD's, and shipping etc.
The worst part is they are removing and blocking anyone who doesn't leave a positive review of the movie!!!
An Important Film
garymacrae29 June 2017
I have followed David Paulides for a few years now and although this film was not what I expected I still have to applaud the excellent cinematography and work which has went into this production. Yes the main thread may provoke controversy but after watching the film again I have a different view on this. I felt that the Deorr case, for me anyway, demonstrated the difference between a 411 case and a homicide case. This may well not have been the intention but it was what I took from the film. This film is extremely important in that people MUST be made aware of what is going on out there, not just in America, but all over the world. Some people only care about themselves and that is their prerogative, however if you care about others and want to know what is happening then this work has to be supported. The film is a welcome break from all the usual CGI rubbish and I for one will watch it again and urge others to find out more about this subject.
Very Mixed feelings about these what IF movies
nastyburn8 December 2018
These films are at the out set quite intriguing simply by the seemingly very large numbers of persons disappeared in wilderness areas. However the cherry picking of cases and often just not stating the most probable causes of disappearances panders to uncritical minds. For example the man who was said to shed his pants folded as if he melted. But, that disregards hypothermal and dehydration do cause people to become delirious and shed clothing in frigid conditions. Numerous cases from Artic deaths show this. There also was a man who as a child managed to walk 20 plus miles and was lucky to find help. He said he experienced nothing supernatural. So we know small children can do things we might not expect. That would include walking away from adults. But frankly these cases do not explore the mundane or criminal sides of the vanishings. But, its worth while to speculate, but I am sure by now this has made its promoters very wealthy.
Intriguing, informative, gripping and beautifully shot documentary
gotta_get_angry26 June 2017
Top notch film that for 90 min gives you a hard, insightful look at just a handful of the thousands of mysterious disappearances you can read about in the 6 mind-blowing Missing 411 books. The vast majority of which happen in our national parks, forests and monuments. Shot in 4k, the footage of the areas of each incident is breathtakingly gorgeous, with a defined undertone of mystery and bewilderment. If you are interested in the unexplained, look no further. The circumstances, once you understand them, can only be summed up as impossible. Les Stroud appears in the film to further reinforce that notion, as he attempts to duplicate the baffling, unlikely journey presented in one of the cases. The case of Jaryd Atadero and the interview with his father, Allyn, I found to be most gripping. As Allyn Atadero relives that fateful day, you can feel the desperation and eventual hopelessness he surely felt, with no reasonable answer for what happened or why.. If your mind isn't racing through the entirety of this feature, you aren't paying close enough attention. You can rest assured this has, since day 1, been a project filled with COMPASSION for the families of the lost, sincere sympathy when the missing are sometimes found deceased, and eagerness to come up with an answer to explain the perplexing circumstances. This is an attempt to bring fresh eyes and a wider audience to the facts surrounding the cases that are happening worldwide to this day, to educate and inform those who enjoy the outdoors. It is not meant to discourage from enjoying nature, but to raise awareness that things can happen in the blink of an eye, and sometimes you just don't get a second chance to take the appropriate precautions.
Missing Something
TerryTolkin5 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"....I was moved to tears....by boredom. The 'Missing 411' books upon which this film is based on are little more than editorialized collections of data. The central case in this film version is typical of the thousands of others that are documented in researcher/author David Paulides' half a dozen volumes.
That said, with such an enormous wealth of subjects, the central case of missing 2 year old Deorr Kuntz is a perplexing choice to focus on. Although sad, tragic, controversial and recent, the family and the witnesses involved are strikingly unsympathetic. Honestly, I couldn't wait for the Director to move on to the next chapter. But he didn't. The film just languishes over these pathetic and paranoid individuals. It made me sad and uncomfortable to watch them grow increasingly suspicious of each other. The damage that the loss of their only child has wrought upon these people is obvious and the camera is there to show us all of their pain and disillusion. Like I said, made me feel sad and uncomfortable. The Director even weighs in on the accusations by suggesting that the middle-aged short order cook at the local greasy spoon was at the center of some implausible conspiracy!
During the recent publicity tour promoting the films PPV release and trying to drum up more donations for his cause, Mr. Paulides teased potential viewers with the appearance of former United States Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration, Ken Salazar. They ask Salazar if he knew weather or not his former department of over 70,000 employees kept a list of people who are missing in our National Parks system. Salazar does not appear at all uncomfortable nor does he appear to be fudging his response. I think you're barking up the wrong Giant Sequoia there, Mr. Paulides. As only a temporary keeper of the Secretary's chair, Mr. Salazar would only be read into subjects that are essential to the execution of his position. If these disappearances you've documented are indeed part of some ongoing, clandestine operation, Mr. Salazar very well may not be in that loop.
The absorbing drone camera footage and the graphics supply valuable new tools for visualizing the events surrounding these cases. A cameo appearance by the guy from a survivalist cable TV series was of no help. I likened it to having Dr. Phil interviewed in a documentary about Charles Manson.
The confounding mystery surrounding the Denis Martin vanishing is one of countless others written about in the book series that would have made a much more compelling story then the Kuntz case. it's not even touched on here. That event alone could sustain an entire film. I hope someday somebody will tell the Martin's story. I think that the answer(s) to this whole mystery lies within it's narrative.
That said, with such an enormous wealth of subjects, the central case of missing 2 year old Deorr Kuntz is a perplexing choice to focus on. Although sad, tragic, controversial and recent, the family and the witnesses involved are strikingly unsympathetic. Honestly, I couldn't wait for the Director to move on to the next chapter. But he didn't. The film just languishes over these pathetic and paranoid individuals. It made me sad and uncomfortable to watch them grow increasingly suspicious of each other. The damage that the loss of their only child has wrought upon these people is obvious and the camera is there to show us all of their pain and disillusion. Like I said, made me feel sad and uncomfortable. The Director even weighs in on the accusations by suggesting that the middle-aged short order cook at the local greasy spoon was at the center of some implausible conspiracy!
During the recent publicity tour promoting the films PPV release and trying to drum up more donations for his cause, Mr. Paulides teased potential viewers with the appearance of former United States Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration, Ken Salazar. They ask Salazar if he knew weather or not his former department of over 70,000 employees kept a list of people who are missing in our National Parks system. Salazar does not appear at all uncomfortable nor does he appear to be fudging his response. I think you're barking up the wrong Giant Sequoia there, Mr. Paulides. As only a temporary keeper of the Secretary's chair, Mr. Salazar would only be read into subjects that are essential to the execution of his position. If these disappearances you've documented are indeed part of some ongoing, clandestine operation, Mr. Salazar very well may not be in that loop.
The absorbing drone camera footage and the graphics supply valuable new tools for visualizing the events surrounding these cases. A cameo appearance by the guy from a survivalist cable TV series was of no help. I likened it to having Dr. Phil interviewed in a documentary about Charles Manson.
The confounding mystery surrounding the Denis Martin vanishing is one of countless others written about in the book series that would have made a much more compelling story then the Kuntz case. it's not even touched on here. That event alone could sustain an entire film. I hope someday somebody will tell the Martin's story. I think that the answer(s) to this whole mystery lies within it's narrative.
The movie explores the important problem and unsolved mystery of people who vanish, mainly in National Parks , in similar circumstances.
rranus26 June 2017
I've been waiting for a long time to watch this movie and I am not disappointed. David and Ben Paulides did a great job raising awareness to the unexplained cases of missing people, not only in the USA and Canada where their organization operates but also all around the world where many similar unsolved incidents occur. Just one example of Jaryd Atadero, correlated with David Paulides's sharp and insightful conclusions on the strange similarities of circumstances and whereabouts of all the cases is enough to make the the spectator curious, puzzled and hungry for more knowledge.-
David Paulides's commitment to this grave issue is more than obvious. I would consider Missing 411 a must-watch for everybody who feels for the families still waiting for their loved ones to be found as well as all the thrill- and- adventure seekers who get a chance to be forewarned before their hikes. Also for everybody who call themselves keen and watchful observers of reality.
David Paulides's commitment to this grave issue is more than obvious. I would consider Missing 411 a must-watch for everybody who feels for the families still waiting for their loved ones to be found as well as all the thrill- and- adventure seekers who get a chance to be forewarned before their hikes. Also for everybody who call themselves keen and watchful observers of reality.
missing people in the national parks
billweb11 September 2017
Wish I could get my money back. Nothing like what I heard on the Coast to Coast show. Those kids in the documentary could have gone missing under many different circumstances, not as a big mystery presented on Coast to Coast. David Paludes talked more about adults who were "missing" when he was on Coast to Coast. Only one adult presented in the movie, and he had no recollection regarding what happened. Very disappointing
Missing 411
dustinnaef28 June 2017
Missing 411: The Movie I was one of the early backers to support the funding of David Paulides film based on the Missing 411 book series, and I can say after watching it that my expectations were exceeded. It's beautifully filmed, and has a high production value and polish which surprised me, because they did not have the resources or budget that a film of this magnitude would normally warrant. It's evident that they worked very hard on this, and every dollar that was contributed is up there on the screen. Congratulations to David and Ben Paulides, and director Michael DeGrazier, and all those who participated, for making a film with integrity and heart. It must have been incredibly difficult to decide what cases to feature in the film, but the profiles of the missing children will haunt you. I have a terrifying early memory about being lost in the woods once as a small child, which happened the Uintas in Utah, and I can state from experience how fast it happens and it's like being in a hall of mirrors where you cannot discern what direction you're going in once your off the path. I was lucky enough that I found my way back to family. The film expands the scope of the material in the book series in that it's able to visually show you the locations where these disappearances took place, and includes re-enactments and interviews with family members and search-and-rescue volunteers, and convincingly demonstrates with the help of Les Stroud the baffling trajectories and difficulty of the terrain some of the victims (small children) were presumed to have taken from the point where they vanished and were last seen, to the point where they were found later. I think the film is a must-have for everyone who has followed the book series, and should be seen by every parent thinking of visiting a National Park (or anywhere outdoors) with their family. I hope this isn't a stand-alone film but the beginning of a series that can be expanded on in the future.
Scam artist
oliwiagrambo20 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I have listened to his podcasts, interviews and many comments made on cases as well as this movie when it was still just in a phase of planning. What he eventually created is nowhere near what he claimed he was going to do. Only a tiny amount of cases throughout the movie (was it like, 3? ) none of them ever concluded in any way. For months he kept promising to mention cases not covered in his interviews that will be explained in great detail , and many of them (cases) presented. I do not see either of what he promised realized. It happened I personally contacted him to report a personal case that falls into his category. His rude, materialistic demeanor, his two faced behavior and multiple insults via email and facebook made me realise this is , was, and will be a scam artist, and there are reasons why many institutions do not want to release information on missing people to him (check more how he abused his position as a policeman during his service). I hate this guy and I believe he feeds of people who fall for 'beautiful words' because I do admit, he can be convincing. But when you uncover any of his fault, he will attack you. After mentioning he should have made 2 emails - 1 for shop/books customers and 1 for the potential victims, he absolutely lost it and insulted me heavily.
All this amounts to my opinion he really used these people in the movie for his own fame and pocket. I still enjoy stories he tells and expected much more from this movie, regardless my personal opinion. In the movie, if you focus on what is going on, they repeat same things multiple times , eventually cutting the case without giving any in-depth knowledge. I think it is a failed attempt to show a very important and scary issue, that was created by a person who abuses people who believed him. Eventually, many people actually told him not to come any close to them or ever mention them again, due to his attitude. Very disappointing documentary. Something else was promised for months before.
Lay it All Out - We Can Take It (SPOILERS AHEAD!)
ybmagpye15 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Fascinating subject and great cinematography, etc. However, it didn't present the sound arguments as clearly as the 411 book series did. What I have garnered from reading 2 of the Western 411 books, there is a shocking pattern of disappearances not only of innocent children, but also of adults. There is a scary mystery about the missing kids in that they often disappear while in close distance to their parents, and then if and when they are found they are shockingly far from where they were lost. No lost toddler is going to climb uphill through terrain - they're going to walk downhill or nearby where they are lost. Should be a slam dunk to find them. But nope. The 411 kids are found (if at all) horrifying distances from where any sane person would expect a lost tot to wander. Add to that, certain National Parks that are actual focal points of lots of kids (and adults) disappearing in the region, through the years, over and over again. WTF? The only point I think that was clearly made is that either the U.S. Dept of the Interior doesn't give a rat's tush enough to keep records or they just want to ignore the missing, rather than admit there is something rotten in Yosemite, Crater Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, etc. THAT attitude from an organization most people think of as kind and helpful is unsettling.
I don't think the movie really made all of the other similarities in the cases as clear - or even as frightening - as did the books. Also, the move ignored (one horror at a time, thank you very much) didn't cover missing adults at all. I'm hoping this was only the first movie to be made and the following movie(s) will lay out the overall patterns that initially blew Paulides' mind enough to cause him to write the 411 series. Please Paulides, a second movie, in which you lay out your frightening cases and the quirky/scary stuff that links them together. Use graphs, ven diagrams and numbers and whatever - we can take it. And keep in mind that while the kiddie cases are cause for immediate sympathy, the disappearance of able bodied adults that KNOW what the hell they are doing in the wilderness is far scarier than a wandering 2 year old innocent. Thank you for the efforts. I'd crowd fund your movie efforts again in a hot minute.
I don't think the movie really made all of the other similarities in the cases as clear - or even as frightening - as did the books. Also, the move ignored (one horror at a time, thank you very much) didn't cover missing adults at all. I'm hoping this was only the first movie to be made and the following movie(s) will lay out the overall patterns that initially blew Paulides' mind enough to cause him to write the 411 series. Please Paulides, a second movie, in which you lay out your frightening cases and the quirky/scary stuff that links them together. Use graphs, ven diagrams and numbers and whatever - we can take it. And keep in mind that while the kiddie cases are cause for immediate sympathy, the disappearance of able bodied adults that KNOW what the hell they are doing in the wilderness is far scarier than a wandering 2 year old innocent. Thank you for the efforts. I'd crowd fund your movie efforts again in a hot minute.
Awesome movie!
judd011211 July 2019
One of the worst movies I've seen
erdelagarza15 September 2018
Total clickbait, no real substance to the documentary and most evidence are interviews of local small townsmen that appear eager to be on a film. Had low expectations going in due to the film's conspiracy theme, but was surprised to be let down by being shown 1.2 hours of superficial interviews on missing people's case. You're better off reading a stephen king novel than watching this waste of 1.5 hrs of total bs. Good editing though.
Fantastic Documentary into an unexplored area of our National Parks. 10 stars!!!!!! <3 it!
johnny-8788826 June 2017
Very important documentary. Brings some critical unexplored information to the mainstream. Read these Missing 411 books before having the chance to see the documentary, and strongly recommend the books as well. Something very strange has been taking place in our North American national parks and has not got the proper attention deserved to solve the mysterious disappearances taking place. Was very happy with the overall out line and presentation of this film and found it to be very well researched. Have spent some time following up on some of the documented cases and must say we sure have quite a mystery of sorts to further explore. I really felt that David Paulides is someone who really generally cares to help find out this mystery and help those involved and most certainly has played a great true honest detective in his peruse of answers. Further more for the mystery buff this would be a great documentary to check out. There are many as well who believe that the Legend of Bigfoot could be associated with some of these missing folks. And there is much new evidence that suggests that we have something going on that needs more research and further documentation. Super great Documentary. I'm a tough critic as i watch many of these so cheers, enjoy and explore the realms of the unknown...... This Documentary will sure fit the bill :)
Was Hoping For More
jt-477397 May 2019
I have read most of the books that Dave has written on this subject. I was really looking forward to this movie. I do know his son was mostly involved in making this movie. A limited budget and first attempt at making a movie need to be taken into account. That being said, I feel it was an opportunity to present lots of material from the books. There was simply just not enough here. Presenting more cases would be more desirable. Opportunity wasted.
More Than Just a Documentary
coloaspengirl25 June 2017
Heartbreaking and thought provoking. Way more than just a documentary. To lose a child is unimaginable and heart wrenching but for a family to lose a child under unexplained circumstances, there is no acceptance or peace. Help these families to find the truth, watch and refer to others.
Ridiculous
Nazz8627 July 2020
Do people really think it's that amazing that someone goes missing in the woods?
So you're 80 + years old and you go into the woods, and never come out, and it's supposed to be some supernatural event because nobody ever found a trace of you? Lol
"Oh I was there and I heard a very odd noise in the woods shortly before the disappearance" - this is beyond ridiculous, go outside for a bit, you'll hear a lot of odd noises, things you've never heard before.
"Oh he went missing but he had a gun and other weapons and they were never recovered" yeah no kidding because the guy is dead somewhere and he still has things with him, there's no foul play.
A canine or human search even if it's 1000 people has a very low probability of finding anything in these large search areas.
So you're 80 + years old and you go into the woods, and never come out, and it's supposed to be some supernatural event because nobody ever found a trace of you? Lol
"Oh I was there and I heard a very odd noise in the woods shortly before the disappearance" - this is beyond ridiculous, go outside for a bit, you'll hear a lot of odd noises, things you've never heard before.
"Oh he went missing but he had a gun and other weapons and they were never recovered" yeah no kidding because the guy is dead somewhere and he still has things with him, there's no foul play.
A canine or human search even if it's 1000 people has a very low probability of finding anything in these large search areas.
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