Searching

As the modern 2000s and 2010s have been pushing the found footage genre, a fascinating form of visual storytelling forms. Usually the events taking place are being shown on some kind of screen whether it's that from a regular camera, videos taken from a cell phone, or actions being displayed on a computer screen. The genre most associated with having used this format is horror such as Paranormal Activity series, REC, and The Visit but a few standout thrillers jumped into the style like Chronicle. This brings us to Searching, a new project using this technique and the directorial debut of Aneesh Chaganty. The marketing campaign was so intriguing that it ended up on my anticipated radar. It premiered at the Sundance film festival and has been getting a good word of mouth. It was released into theaters in August to a positive critical reception but hasn’t been talked about that much since it's distribution to the public. I entered the auditorium after watching A Simple Favor and left it very impressed by its efforts that doesn’t deserve to overlooked.

Plot: The story follows a father trying to find his missing teenage daughter. What helps bringing in the reason to care about the family is how their history is first displayed in the intro. The visual storytelling is primarily through the computer that’s used by the parent where his use of social media, FaceTime, the internet, etc. This is all building around how the people who you love aren’t exactly what you think they are (more in how their mindset actually is compared to what they are comfortable showing). That’s the focused topic which helps this shine through with every development in the search. It can even become uncomfortable when making discoveries that could have either larger consequences or make you question your own past behavior around them in an attempt become more understanding in the future. The reveal at the end can get a little far fetched in the explanation but not in any over the top manner but something more realistic. It's also a little hard to say how the quality of this adventure will hold on a rewatch after knowing about the truth in the end.

Characters: The people to focus on are David (John Cho) and Margot (Michelle La). David and Margot are the father daughter duo in the forefront of this mystery thriller where the former is anxiously looking for her while the latter is shown in past videos that reveal more about the history we’re trying to solve. Both actors are great in not only fulfilling their roles in the search aspect but also portraying the strained relationship with one another. This is easily one of John’s best performances as his surprising dramatic chops convey how frantic and determined this parent is in learning what happened to his child. Honorable mentions go to Detective Vick (Debra Messing) and Peter (Joseph Lee) for their respective performances and roles they serve.

Overall Consensus: Searching provides chilling thrills as the visual storytelling conveys strength via excellent lead performances, twisting turns in the mystery, and a solid underlying theme. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🎟🍿 Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes PG-13

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You like unique visual storytelling from computers and cameras. You enjoy father daughter conflicts and/or mystery thrillers. You are familiar with social media.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You hate unique visual storytelling from computers and cameras. You hate father daughter conflicts and/or mystery thrillers.

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