Plot Summary:An Irish filmmaker grapples with the legacy of his estranged father, the late documentarian Arthur MacCaig, through MacCaig's decades-spanning archive of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Drawing on over 30 years of unique and never-seen-before footage, 'The Image You Missed' is an experimental essay film that weaves together a history of the Northern Irish 'Troubles' with the story of a son's search for his father. In the process, the film creates a candid encounter between two filmmakers born into different political moments, revealing their contrasting experiences of Irish nationalism, the role of images in social struggle, and the competing claims of personal and political responsibility.
Donal Foreman had virtually no contact with his father, Arthur MacCaig, who devoted his entire career to documenting the conflict in Northern Ireland. After MacCaig’s death, Foreman re-establishes their relationship by diving into his father’s archive, also taking up the camera – both as a weapon and a means of reconciliation.