When an 18 year-old girl named Joy goes missing, Helen is asked to “play” her in a police reconstruction that may help solve the case. When she finds out that Joy had all the things missing from her life—parents, a boyfriend, a future—Helen immerses herself in the role and her life begins to flower.

With a deliberately affectless acting style, the Desperate Optimists’ mysterious debut feature earns comparisons to Antonioni in its unique take on a missing-person drama. Helen is a fascinating look at impersonation and assumed identity, aided by the casting of nonprofessional performers.