An Irish filmmaker grapples with the legacy of his estranged father, the late American 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 imagery, The Image You Missed is a documentary 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.

“Eschewing easy conclusions in favor of infinite critique, the politics of the film are found, even more so than in Foreman’s conflicted admiration for MacCaig and the nationalist movement, in its very approach to image-making and historical memory—a devastating performance of the inseparability of the personal, the political, and the aesthetic.” – Patrick Harrison, MUBI Notebook

“Superb … A wonderful film from an intriguing, restless talent … Following up Out of Here, a narrative hit here in 2013, Foreman’s new film elegantly intertwines Irish history and a study of parenthood to form an intelligent cinematic essay.” – Donald Clarke, The Irish Times

“Poetic and poignant … Engaging and evocative … A film full of vulnerability and bravery … The profound reflections of a seasoned filmmaker.” – Síomha McQuinn, Film Ireland

“Foreman’s excavation of a familial rift unearths stories without neat conclusions. Yet some common ground is nevertheless found. Despite working in different climates, the perspectives of father and son, at least, meet on the subject of documentary film-making. They believe in the power of images and, as Mr Foreman said in an interview, the importance of ‘conjuring ghosts, not getting rid of them’.” – Sarah Jilani, The Economist