Trigger warning: This article discusses mature content such as sexual assault and other mature and potentially harmful topics. If you do not feel comfortable with these topics, please do not read further.
Megan is Missing is a movie that has been revived from the film grave. It was brought into the limelight by the people of TikTok. There has been much discussion about the content of the film on TikTok, and I would like to offer a trigger warning as this article will be discussing the rape scene within the film. The film itself was meant to showcase the dangers of predators and their grooming nature, however, the film was made laughable yet uncomfortable by its portrayal of the subject. I would like to say that even though the movie suggests these events are real footage, the film is not made from found footage. Many people on the internet seem to believe otherwise, which further perpetuates the wrongdoing done by this film.
The goal of the film as stated was to showcase the dangers of the internet and grooming behaviours. Although these intentions were good, the film missed the meaning. The last 20 minutes of the film showcase the brutal capture, torture, rape and burial of a young 14-year-old while she is still alive. These scenes were created for shock value and glorification rather than shining a light on the issues at hand. One part in particular during this uncut 20 minutes of the film showcases the young girl being shoved into a barrel with her dead friend. The way the scene is portrayed makes it come together as a sort of jump scare effect which glorifies these actions. Furthermore, when the young lady is being raped, the actress is shown to be smiling, which adds an additional level of discomfort. Rather than showcase the horror of this act, the producers choose to display this rape scene vulgarly, but for what reason? There was no need for the scene to go on for as long as it did in terms of thematic value. Once again, it glorifies these actions on the silver screen which is counterproductive to the point the film was trying to make.
Generally, there is an oversexualization of these teen characters throughout the film. In one scene, a girl intimately describes a blow job she gives, or rather, was forced to give. There are also scenes where women are seen partying and performing sexual favours for older men. There is no real need to have such explicit sexual imagery to showcase that a character is promiscuous. The film was trying to showcase that this could happen to someone who is “in with the wrong crowd” and someone who is “innocent.” However, rather than portraying women as complex, the film shoves women into a Madonna-whore complex and uses this as the backbone of the film. If the goal was to show a warning to young women about the dangers of the online world, maybe make these women fully realized characters as opposed to showcasing us as either a Madonna or a whore. The target audience of young women may then actually be able to relate to the characters instead of the caricatures of the women shown.
Overall, the unrealistic portrayal of teenagers, the oversexualization of women and the glorification of rape, torture and murder made this film counterproductive to its overall point. The intentions may be good, but the message did not come through. Rather, it is problematic and concerning that this film is being thought of as realistic.