# Missing Johnny
**Missing Johnny** (強尼‧凱克) is a 2017 Taiwanese drama directed by Huang Xi (黃熙), her feature debut, about three solitary young people in Taipei whose lives intersect after a pet parrot escapes and a series of wrong-number phone calls asking for a man named Johnny.[1](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/missing-johnny/) It was executive produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, with whom Huang Xi had worked as an intern on *Flowers of Shanghai* (1996) and later on *The Assassin* (2015).[2](https://filmex.jp/2017/news/missingjohnny)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Huang Xi, her first feature film[1](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/missing-johnny/) |
| Year / country | 2017, Taiwan[1](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/missing-johnny/) |
| Cast | Rima Zeidan, Lawrence Ko (柯宇綸), Sean Huang (Huang Yuan)[3](https://cinema.ucla.edu/events/missing-johnny-10-25-19/) |
| Executive producer | Hou Hsiao-hsien; cinematography by Yao Hung-i, music by Lim Giong[2](https://filmex.jp/2017/news/missingjohnny) • [4](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fjcn42525376/) |
| Taipei Film Awards 2017 | Best Supporting Actor, Best New Talent, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography[5](https://themefile.culture.tw/file/2022-10-19/a8f895d9-1835-4255-9edc-e02bfac6fdf6/2020%20DCP%20%26%20Blu-ray%20film%20booklet%20in%20pdf.pdf) |
| Golden Horse Awards 2017 | Best New Performer for Rima Zeidan[6](https://inreviewonline.com/2018/07/18/missing-johnny/) |
| Mainland release | Blocked by Chinese authorities in 2018 after lead actor Lawrence Ko was identified as holding pro-Taiwan-independence views[7](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2018/03/29/2003690250?fb_comment_id=1610056012395634_1610430992358136) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Hsu Zi-qi (徐子淇), played by Rima Zeidan, lives alone in Taipei, keeps a menagerie of black-headed caique parrots, and works part-time while remaining in an unsettled relationship with a boyfriend.[1](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/missing-johnny/) • [4](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fjcn42525376/) She keeps receiving phone calls meant for someone named Johnny; the wrong numbers become part of her daily life and stir her curiosity to piece together who Johnny might be.[8](https://eng.koreafilm.or.kr/movie/PM_008264)
Lee Li (李立), played by Huang Yuan, is the son of Hsu's landlady, who lives downstairs. He trains his concentration by reading newspapers and magazines aloud each day and replaying his own recordings, but his routine is disrupted when he discovers Hsu smuggling a parrot onto the Taipei metro.[4](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fjcn42525376/) • [8](https://eng.koreafilm.or.kr/movie/PM_008264) Chang Yi-feng (張以風), played by Lawrence Ko, is a wandering renovation foreman hired by Lee's mother for a site near the apartment; when his beloved old car breaks down on the way to the job, he feels suddenly without support.[4](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fjcn42525376/)
The three are brought together by the escaped bird, and as no clear answers to the small mysteries surface, they begin to open up to one another, revealing personal stories and hidden emotions.[1](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/missing-johnny/) Johnny himself never appears on screen; the title character is present only through the calls of friends and relatives dialing a wrong number.[9](https://filmysasi.com/missing-johnny-india-review/)
## Production and style
Huang Xi wrote the screenplay after hearing from a friend in Hong Kong who had received similar wrong-number calls and, over time, grew fond of the unknown caller; she said the double meaning of "missing," as both lost and longed for, stayed in her mind throughout the writing.[2](https://filmex.jp/2017/news/missingjohnny) Hou Hsiao-hsien chose the script from several she had written and took the executive producer role, with his regular crew involved: Yao Hung-i on cinematography and Lim Giong composing an ambient electronic score.[2](https://filmex.jp/2017/news/missingjohnny) • [10](https://taiwanpostnewwave.org.uk/films/missing-johnny-huang-xi/)
The film uses long takes and subtle camera movement in the manner of Hou and the Taiwanese New Wave, following its characters through scenes of movement across Taipei and conveying a sense of both vibrancy and loss in the city; reviewers have compared it to Hou's *Millennium Mambo* (2001) for a new generation.[6](https://inreviewonline.com/2018/07/18/missing-johnny/) • [10](https://taiwanpostnewwave.org.uk/films/missing-johnny-huang-xi/) Dialogue is minimal, and the film relies heavily on its actors, with Rima Zeidan, a Lebanese-Taiwanese actress, making her feature film debut as Hsu.[9](https://filmysasi.com/missing-johnny-india-review/) • [11](https://note.com/mishigooka/n/n5776091597a3?hl=en)
## Release and reception
The film premiered in 2017 and screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Taipei Film Festival (where it competed in the International New Directors Competition), the FIRST International Film Festival in Xining, and the Busan International Film Festival.[4](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fjcn42525376/) • [12](https://siff.kr/films/%EC%A1%B0%EB%8B%88%EB%A5%BC-%EC%B0%BE%EC%95%84%EC%84%9C/) At the 2017 Taipei Film Awards it won four prizes: Best Supporting Actor, Best New Talent, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.[5](https://themefile.culture.tw/file/2022-10-19/a8f895d9-1835-4255-9edc-e02bfac6fdf6/2020%20DCP%20%26%20Blu-ray%20film%20booklet%20in%20pdf.pdf) Zeidan's performance also won Best New Performer at the 2017 Golden Horse Awards.[6](https://inreviewonline.com/2018/07/18/missing-johnny/)
It opened in Taiwan on December 15, 2017, distributed by Mandarin Vision, and earned NT$570,000 at the Taipei box office as of November 2, 2018.[4](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fjcn42525376/) Its North American premiere came at the 2018 New York Asian Film Festival, followed by a Los Angeles premiere at the UCLA Film & Television Archive's Taiwan Biennial in 2019.[1](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/missing-johnny/) • [3](https://cinema.ucla.edu/events/missing-johnny-10-25-19/)
**Banned in China.** The film was originally scheduled for release in mainland China in April 2018. In March 2018, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman An Fengshan (安峰山) said the government "would not permit the release of films in China whose production include entertainers who hold pro-Taiwan independence views," after lead actor Lawrence Ko had expressed support for Taiwanese independence; the release was blocked.[7](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2018/03/29/2003690250?fb_comment_id=1610056012395634_1610430992358136) • [13](https://news.pts.org.tw/article/389755) The ban came shortly after China announced 31 incentives for Taiwanese compatriots, including no limit on the number of Taiwan films shown in China.[13](https://news.pts.org.tw/article/389755)
Critical response highlighted the film's quiet character study and its portrait of urban alienation, with reviewers noting its languid pace and minimal dialogue as both strengths and tests of patience.[9](https://filmysasi.com/missing-johnny-india-review/) • [14](https://theasiancut.com/review/missing-johnny-film-review-directed-by-xi-huan/) On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.8/10 from 282 votes.[15](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt7010456/ratings/)
## References
1. [Missing Johnny, Film at Lincoln Center](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/missing-johnny/)
2. [『ジョニーは行方不明』ホァン・シー監督Q&A, TOKYO FILMeX](https://filmex.jp/2017/news/missingjohnny)
3. [Missing Johnny, UCLA Film & Television Archive](https://cinema.ucla.edu/events/missing-johnny-10-25-19/)
4. [強尼‧凱克 Missing Johnny, 開眼電影網](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fjcn42525376/)
5. [Taiwan Cinema 2020 DCP & Blu-ray film booklet](https://themefile.culture.tw/file/2022-10-19/a8f895d9-1835-4255-9edc-e02bfac6fdf6/2020%20DCP%20%26%20Blu-ray%20film%20booklet%20in%20pdf.pdf)
6. [Missing Johnny, In Review Online](https://inreviewonline.com/2018/07/18/missing-johnny/)
7. [Taiwanese film banned from Chinese theaters, Taipei Times](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2018/03/29/2003690250?fb_comment_id=1610056012395634_1610430992358136)
8. [Missing Johnny, Korean Film Archive Cinematheque](https://eng.koreafilm.or.kr/movie/PM_008264)
9. ['Missing Johnny' review, Filmy Sasi](https://filmysasi.com/missing-johnny-india-review/)
10. [Missing Johnny (Huang Xi), Taiwan Post New Wave](https://taiwanpostnewwave.org.uk/films/missing-johnny-huang-xi/)
11. [My Favorite Asian Films 15: Missing Johnny, Manabu Ishigooka](https://note.com/mishigooka/n/n5776091597a3?hl=en)
12. [조니를 찾아서, Seoul Independent Film Festival](https://siff.kr/films/%EC%A1%B0%EB%8B%88%EB%A5%BC-%EC%B0%BE%EC%95%84%EC%84%9C/)
13. [China Bans Release of Taiwan Film, Public Television Service](https://news.pts.org.tw/article/389755)
14. ['Missing Johnny': A Quiet, Yet Impactful, Character Study, The Asian Cut](https://theasiancut.com/review/missing-johnny-film-review-directed-by-xi-huan/)
15. [Missing Johnny Ratings, IMDb](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt7010456/ratings/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2015 to 2019 › Drama films 2017 and 2018*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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