Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching is quite a revelation. Not only is it an engaging thriller, but it also takes a unique approach to tell its story.
Searching Film Review
While Searching is about David Kim’s (John Cho) desperate hunt to find his missing daughter Margot (Michelle La), the movie doesn’t shy away from topics such as the misuse of social media (as also indeed the internet) and parents not knowing their children enough.
Searching requires the viewer to follow the messages and video conversations that are such an integral part of the movie. Nearly two hours long, some viewers might find it hard to keep up with the messaging between the various characters that keep popping up on the screen throughout its runtime.
Apart from being a top-notch thriller, Searching has enough poignant moments to hold the attention of the audience. After learning via social media new facets of his daughter’s life that he never knew of up until then, David questions himself as to how well he knows his daughter. It is this mix of several different ideas that makes Searching such a fruitful watch.
Indeed, there will be many a conversation after the end credits, and they will undoubtedly touch upon the myriad issues that are brought forth through the film. The most pertinent being the lack of involvement of parents in their children’s day-to-day life. Also, the way the director uses the screen to tell a story is sure to be a talking point.
In some way, Searching sets a precedent for other movies to follow. As an audience, you are always on tenterhooks as not only is the presentation different from the routine but also what happens on screen is engaging and manages to keep you invested in it.
While there are a lot of twists and turns in Searching, you will appreciate the fact that the director knew what he was doing and gave you clues along the way. Everything is there on the screen for a reason, and that becomes clear only at the end.
By the time the movie reaches its final act, you will be rooting for the distraught father to find his daughter. There is nothing more fulfilling than watching a movie where every character has a role to play in forwarding the plot. Whether it is David Kim, his brother Peter (Joseph Lee), the detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) who is overseeing the case, or any of the other characters, all have a precise role to play in the movie. Not only are the characters well-defined, but by the end of the film, each actor has played their parts convincingly.
Some of the viewers will find the story (as well as the format) more interesting than the individual characters while others will enjoy the latter more than its execution. Whichever group you fall into, the outcome will be the same in that your viewing experience of Searching will be a thoroughly satisfying one.
Searching film review rates Searching 
(4 / 5)
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