Searching (B or 3/4 stars)
'Searching' (directed by Aneesh Gaganty) is an engaging, computer-centric, psychological thriller, chronicling how a severely distraught father attempts to find his missing daughter. As shown in a lovely computer photo montage, the Kim family of San Jose, California, has always been super close, even when lymphoma takes wife/mom Pamela (Sara Sohn), leaving David (John Cho) a bereft widower raising 16 yr. old Margot (Michelle La). When Margot fails to come home one night after supposedly going to a study group & skips school the very next day, David realizes that he missed Margot's copious 1 a.m. cell phone & FaceTime calls & she does not pick up when he returns them. That is when he contacts the police for a missing person case.
Det. Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) is quick to respond, but there simply are no clues yet to follow. Despairing yet resolute, David dives into his daughter's laptop ... where all her secrets lie. Step by step, David hits the internet; tracing every nook & cranny of her digital life. Texts, e-mails, YouTube vids, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, even her own bank account. When David calls her "friends" {that he finds in her contacts & on Facebook} asking when was the last time saw her, he soon realizes how socially isolated she's become in the wake of her mom's death. He discovers that she's been skipping her piano lessons, pocketing $$, and he finds that she even joined an alarming site called YouCast, in which you communicate with strangers on-line. After that, Margot's disappearance goes viral on Twitter with the #FindMargot hashtag. And a shady #DadDidIt hashtag ensues. The clues are mounting, but time is running out as to whether Margot can be found dead or alive.
This is a really cool movie to watch and, it is fairly innovative. 1st-time director Aneesh Chagantry & his producer partner Sev Ohanian wrote this suspenseful, clever script which is revealed through a visually seamless technological array of digital devices, social media, desktop alerts, cursors, tabs, texts, videos, Google maps, and the like. There's also a strong emotional component to the film {a father's hell bent obsession on finding his daughter}, and it's also a culturally relevant film {how we can and DO use the internet and all its resources to achieve the nearly-impossible}.
Jon Cho's compelling performance drives this film. He performs, largely, by himself; plus cameras/computer screens. And as the search goes on, he looks restless, harried & scarily gaunt. HE is the emotional center -- and simply does a great job. One other thing of note with 'Searching': this is the 2nd 2018 film - the other being mega-hit Crazy Rich Asians - to feature a primarily Asian-American cast. 'Searching' is just a propulsive whodunit to experience. Now, the last 3rd of the film is not as strong as the 1st 2/3's. Some contrivances/absurdities enter the proceedings, and things get a little rushed, too. But it ends strong. And kudos to all the filmmakers for depicting how technology - for better or worse - has become such an integral part of our lives.
Det. Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) is quick to respond, but there simply are no clues yet to follow. Despairing yet resolute, David dives into his daughter's laptop ... where all her secrets lie. Step by step, David hits the internet; tracing every nook & cranny of her digital life. Texts, e-mails, YouTube vids, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, even her own bank account. When David calls her "friends" {that he finds in her contacts & on Facebook} asking when was the last time saw her, he soon realizes how socially isolated she's become in the wake of her mom's death. He discovers that she's been skipping her piano lessons, pocketing $$, and he finds that she even joined an alarming site called YouCast, in which you communicate with strangers on-line. After that, Margot's disappearance goes viral on Twitter with the #FindMargot hashtag. And a shady #DadDidIt hashtag ensues. The clues are mounting, but time is running out as to whether Margot can be found dead or alive.
This is a really cool movie to watch and, it is fairly innovative. 1st-time director Aneesh Chagantry & his producer partner Sev Ohanian wrote this suspenseful, clever script which is revealed through a visually seamless technological array of digital devices, social media, desktop alerts, cursors, tabs, texts, videos, Google maps, and the like. There's also a strong emotional component to the film {a father's hell bent obsession on finding his daughter}, and it's also a culturally relevant film {how we can and DO use the internet and all its resources to achieve the nearly-impossible}.
Jon Cho's compelling performance drives this film. He performs, largely, by himself; plus cameras/computer screens. And as the search goes on, he looks restless, harried & scarily gaunt. HE is the emotional center -- and simply does a great job. One other thing of note with 'Searching': this is the 2nd 2018 film - the other being mega-hit Crazy Rich Asians - to feature a primarily Asian-American cast. 'Searching' is just a propulsive whodunit to experience. Now, the last 3rd of the film is not as strong as the 1st 2/3's. Some contrivances/absurdities enter the proceedings, and things get a little rushed, too. But it ends strong. And kudos to all the filmmakers for depicting how technology - for better or worse - has become such an integral part of our lives.