Since The Blair Witch Project, there have been many attempts at alternatively presented films. With a few exceptions (Paranormal Activity, Chronicle), most end up as more gimmick than innovation, trying to attract audience members into theaters. The latest attempt in the new John Cho thriller Searching is far from an attention-seeking tactic.
Seen entirely from the point-of-view of computer screens, Searching follows David Kim (Cho), a desperate father who is looking for anything to find his missing daughter Margot (Michelle La). With the help of Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing), he meticulously combs his family’s computers and internet history to solve the mystery of the missing 16-year old.
Director Aneesh Chaganty brilliantly utilizes computer screens to connect the audience early. He employs universally recognized sounds, visuals, and habits (like typing something then immediately deleting it) that people have been exposed to almost every day for the past 20 years, allowing the film’s unique point-of-view to quickly move from possible gimmick to essential storytelling. From the very first second, Chaganty uses the format to invest us into the Kim family story before Margot goes missing and then enhance the mystery that unfolds thereafter.
It generates a story with a heart at its center, and a mystery that creates tension from the first missed 3 AM phone call. There is little respite from the unease we feel as Cho searches internet histories, forgotten passwords, camera footage, and social media posts. Every break in the case makes you more unnerved (even the plot points you may have seen coming) pulling you in to search for clues alongside Cho and Messing as the drama progresses. Whether you solve the mystery or not, the plot twists just enough that even though the ending is one you may have seen coming, it is still creatively satisfying.
The performances from each of the three main characters (Cho, Messing, La) are superb. Will & Grace fans will not recognize Messing in this staunch dramatic portrayal. John Cho reminds everyone that even though he is a lowkey pop culture icon, he is much more than just his Harold and Sulu personas. His facial transformation from loving and supportive to desperate and broken down is outstanding. Michelle La’s feature debut is the vehicle that takes the audience through every emotion that the Kim family must deal with. Together, their performances mixed with the technically marvelous cinematography of the film emphasize how much of our lives are captured and stored on these devices, and deliver on what Chaganty calls the theme of Searching, “We are what we hide”. I am giving Searching 9/10 opening audio
cues whenever you start your Windows operating system (you can hear it can’t you).