J. D. Feigelson modified an Ambrose Bierce story to produce this tightly knit little film of life and death. The movie starts with Mathew Brady style photos of the battlefield dead and then as Joan Baez starts to sing; the Confederate sniper shoots a young Union soldier as he is kissing his mother and sweetheart goodbye to leave for the battle. With conservation of energy, the director has developed a character and mood in just a few minutes. When the sniper gets himself into a life or death situation in the film, we are left to decide whether we should feel for him or hope he gets his just deserts. Flashbacks to the sniper's childhood muddy your decision. It will be hard to guess the surprise ending. This is a film on which it is well worth spending 46 minutes of your time.
Review of One of the Missing
