#debramessing

Here’s what we know: the internet, while a vast and important instrument of endless possibility, can also be very scary. 

“Searching” is not the first movie to address that truth. It wasn’t even the first movie to do so this year, as “Eighth Grade” came out just a few months earlier. However, the techno-thriller/mystery manages to go beyond the familiar territory thanks to a strong performance by John Cho, a savvy understanding of how our technology works and influences society, and a relatively high concept that manages to stay fresh for the entirety of its hour and 42 minute runtime. 

Two years after the death of his wife Pam, David Kim (Cho) still finds himself struggling to process his grief. So much so, that he can’t even bring himself to mention Pam around their now-teenage daughter, Margot (Michelle La). Despite the fact that both he and Margot are constantly communicating through text messaging and FaceTime video chats, David notices that a rift has started to form between them – and it doesn’t show any signs of closing in the near future. 

When Margot doesn’t return home from a late night study session one night, David doesn’t panic right away. He thinks he knows his daughter well enough to stay one step ahead of her whereabouts. David quickly finds out that’s not the case. With the help of a sympathetic detective (Debra Messing), David works to unravel the mystery of Margot’s disappearance as it transforms into a full-blown police investigation and media frenzy to find her.

If you’ve seen trailers or read anything about “Searching,” you’re probably well aware of the fact that the plot unfolds through the perspective of screens – like David’s desktop computer, Margot’s cellphone and laptop, television screens, surveillance displays, and many more. 

Unusual visual presentations like this can easily get old quick (i.e. “Hardcore Henry,” which is on Netflix in case you feel like getting motion sickness just by sitting on the couch and watching it), but cinematographer Juan Sebastian Baron manages to recycle the trick multiple times from beginning to end without making it seem overdone.

It also doesn’t hurt that the movie allows Cho, Messing, and the rest of its talented cast of actors work their magic by mostly using their facial expressions.

David looks more and more haggard as the search for Margot continues, which is expected of someone who spends every waking hour digging through social media feeds and video chatting law enforcement. Cho’s tired eyes, furrowed brow, and jaw that switches between being clenched with anger and agape with surprise give his performance a wide range of expression without the audience needing to take in his full body language. 

When an actor is given such little space to operate, the movie can either be made or broken based on how they choose to tackle the challenge. Not only is everyone who appears on-screen game for the work, but they do the job so well, it’s easy to forget that we’re watching people act out a screenplay. We’re richer because of their efforts.

Speaking of the screenplay, it’s easy also to see why “Searching’s” portrayal of smartphone culture stands out when compared to others. After all, first-time writer and director Aneesh Chaganty used to work at Google before leaving to pursue a career in filmmaking.

What would “Searching” have been like if anyone else had taken hold of the directorial reins instead of Chaganty? His words and story still would have been in place, but the touch absolutely would not have been the same. In what way, you ask? I don’t know. I don’t really care to find out, to be honest. 

“Searching” has a gimmick that is designed to draw us in, and it works, but Chaganty and the production crew don’t ever treat it as such. It comes of more as a slice-of-life in a way, as we now live in a society connected by endless streams of code and internet access. 

By looking through our screens, we’re given opportunities to do things that were once considered unimaginable and other chances to come face-to-face with some of our biggest fears – whether knowingly or not. (Yes, that is a corny thing to write, but it is true, and I would like to see you do better.)