The latest example of ‘screenlife’ cinema (see also Unfriended and Host) acts as a standalone sequel to one of the most successful entries in the genre so far, 2018’s Searching. That film’s editors, Nick Johnson and Will Merrick, pick up the directorial and screenwriting mantle here, replicating the tried-and-tested, online-only format but throwing a new set of characters and mystery into the mix.

We’re shadowing LA-based teenager June (rising star Storm Reid, recently seen in The Last Of Us) whose mother Grace (Nia Long) disappears whilst on a Colombian vacation with her shady new squeeze Kevin (Industry’s Ken Leung). With the FBI dawdling, this enterprising and tech-savvy 18-year-old finds herself in a race to track Grace down, hacking Kevin’s accounts and hiring affable Colombian handyman Javi (Joaquim de Almeida) as her man on the ground.

Watching screens within a screen isn’t always a blast, but Missing delivers as a thriller with the twisty, continuously evolving story and fast, keep-up-if-you-can pace making it consistently compelling, while a decent enough emotional arc and some creepy moments add value. As amateur sleuth June beavers away, flitting between apps with ease, the film’s freneticism effectively emulates the speedy, second-skin nature of this teenager’s digital existence, with some cheeky digs at clueless ‘elders’ thrown in.

The volume of information June is able to uncover without leaving her house and amount we can see (via webcams, CCTV, FaceTime, video messages etc) sometimes stretches credulity, especially when she delves into her mother and Kevin’s relationship backstory. However, it certainly shows what’s possible and, particularly when June’s private crisis becomes public fodder, provides plenty of food for thought.

Missing is in cinemas from Friday 21 April.