Glenda Jackson is mesmerizing as a woman struggling with dementia — and a missing persons case — in this BBC import.
Based on the novel of the same name by Emma Healey, the new-to-American-TV-movie Elizabeth is Missing seems at the surface like yet another in the seemingly endless parade of missing women in television and film. We’ve seen lost women from trains and in windows, what more can there be? Written by Andrea Gibb and directed by Aisling Walsh, Elizabeth is Missing is less a story about an actual missing person and more a story about loss, aging, and the slippery movement of memory.
The titular Elizabeth (Maggie Steed) is the best friend of Maud Horsham (Academy Award-winner and erstwhile King Lear Glenda Jackson), a widow in her eighties living with a steadily-worsening Alzheimer’s disease. Maud is still living on her own, albeit with cabinets full of canned peaches (she forgets she’s already bought them) and abandoned cups of tea (she forgets she’s made them), relying on sticky notes to remind her of what she’s done that day and what she plans to be doing tomorrow.
It’s one such note that sends her to wait for Elizabeth outside of their local thrift shop, but Elizabeth never arrives. Maud immediately knows that something is wrong, but none of the people around her, not her loving but stressed daughter Helen (Helen Behan) or her partner-in-crime granddaughter Katy (Nell Williams), seemingly believe or care that Elizabeth is gone. Maud decides to take matters into her own hands and solve Elizabeth’s disappearance, even as her fragile hold on time and memory begins to slip.
Entwined with the emotions of Elizabeth’s disappearance is the mental resurfacing of Maud’s other missing person trauma: the unsolved vanishing of her older sister Sukey (Sophie Rundle) in 1949. Flashbacks show young Maud (Liv Hill) grappling with Sukey’s disappearance as she unpicks the complicated webs that had grown up around her sister; with brother-in-law Frank (Mark Stanley), creepy lodger Dougie (Neil Pendleton), and a local “madwoman” (Cara Kelly) all obsessed with Sukey before she was gone. Sukey’s ghostly memory bleeds into Maud’s current daily life, at times conflating with Elizabeth’s disappearance in Maud’s mind, and becoming yet another problem that no one wants to help Maud with.
The two mysteries wrap up by the end of Elizabeth is Missing, perhaps a bit neatly, but the missing women were never really the focal point of the story. That role belongs to Maud, played by Jackson as a stubborn and acerbic woman losing the very threads of her existence. Maud snaps at a store cashier who points out that she bought peaches just the day before, but while Maud growls defensively that obviously, she wants the peaches, the fear and uncertainty are clear in her eyes. Why doesn’t she know that she bought peaches yesterday?
Elizabeth is Missing is a bittersweet showcase for a powerhouse like Jackson.
Neither Jackson nor the film itself pretends that Maud’s disease is anything but cruel; she hurts herself and can’t remember how it happens, she has an accident on her way to the bathroom, she can’t recognize her granddaughter and calls her terrible things before she remembers both Katy and the things she just said.
The slightness of the two mysteries is more than compensated for by Jackson’s performance. Everyone in the cast is strong, but they’re there to circle Jackson’s Maud and that’s as it should be. Jackson captures Maud’s distress and amusement, the cheeky joy in some fish and chips with Katy, her dismay at little things, and her absolute devastation at the larger ones. Elizabeth is Missing is a bittersweet showcase for a powerhouse like Jackson; there is no happy ending. Perhaps Elizabeth will be found, maybe Sukey’s secrets will be brought to light, but nothing can bring Maud back to herself.
Elizabeth is Missing premieres Sunday, January 3rd, on PBS.
Elizabeth is Missing Trailer:
Read next: The Spool's Best New Releases
Streaming guides
The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
The praises of live TV streaming services don’t need to be further sung. By now, we all know that compared to clunky, commitment-heavy cable, live TV is cheaper and much easier to manage. But just in case you’re still on the fence about jumping over to the other side, or if you’re just unhappy with ... The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
Season 3 of the hotly anticipated Power spin-off, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, is arriving on Starz soon, so you know what that means: it’s the ’90s again in The Southside, and we’re back with the Thomas family as they navigate the ins and outs of the criminal underworld they’re helping build. Mekai Curtis is ... How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re so back! To celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, the BBC is producing a three-episode special starring none other than the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor himself, David Tennant. And to the supreme delight of fans (that would be me, dear reader), the Doctor will be joined by old-time companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and ... How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
For whatever reason, The Hunger Games series isn’t available in the same countries around the world. You’ll find the first and second (aka the best) installments in Hong Kong, for instance, but not the third and fourth. It’s a frustrating dilemma, especially if you don’t even have a single entry in your region, which is ... Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
How to watch Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin Season 2
After a years-long hiatus, scientist and explorer Albert Lin is coming back to National Geographic with a fresh new season of Lost Cities, renamed “Lost Cities Revealed.” In the past, Lin, who is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a real-life Indiana Jones, has traveled everywhere from the ancient Knights Templar in Israel to ... How to watch Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin Season 2
How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
To date, Paramount Network has only two original shows on air right now: Yellowstone and Bar Rescue. The network seems to have its hands full with on-demand streaming service Paramount+, which is constantly stacked with a fresh supply of new shows. But Yellowstone and Bar Rescue are so sturdy and expansive that the network doesn’t ... How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
Previously “Women’s Entertainment,” We TV has since rebranded to accurately reflect its name and be a more inclusive lifestyle channel. It’s home to addictive reality gems like Bold and Bougie, Bridezillas, Marriage Boot Camp, and The Untold Stories of Hip Hop. And when it’s not airing original titles, it has on syndicated shows like 9-1-1, ... How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bad show airing on FX. The channel has made a name for itself as a bastion of high-brow TV, along with HBO and AMC. It’s produced shows like Atlanta, Fargo, The Americans, Archer, and more recently, Shogun. But because it’s owned by Disney, it still airs several blockbusters in ... How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
How to Watch A&E With A Free Trial
If you’re a fan of true crime and insider docu-shows like The First 48 and Court Cam, then you’re probably already familiar with A&E. The cable channel is home to other reality TV gems like Hoarders, Duck Dynasty, and Storage Wars (they’ve moved on to spin-offs like Road Wars, Customer Wars, and Prison Wars now). ... How to Watch A&E With A Free Trial
How to Watch Unimás With a Free Trial
As the sister channel of the much bigger Univision, Unimás is home to popular Spanish-language telenovelas and talk shows (yes, including El Gordo y La Flaca), as well as a couple of sports events and programs. Most notably, however, Unimás also operates a couple of station affiliates around the country, so it also reports local ... How to Watch Unimás With a Free Trial
How to Watch TNT With A Free Trial
For many sports fans, TNT is a non-negotiable. It broadcasts NBA, MLB, NHL, college basketball, and All Elite Wrestling matches. And, as a bonus, it also has reruns of shows like Supernatural, Charmed, and NCIS, as well as films like The Avengers, Dune, and Justice League. But while TNT used to be a cable staple, ... How to Watch TNT With A Free Trial