Searching - Movie Review

My wife and I went to see the newly released Searching last night. I wasn't familiar with the film, having not seen a single trailer for it at the theater. The film showed up in my AMC application and was my third choice for this week's A-List films. A quick bit of research convinced me that this might be the best release for the coming week. It is disappointing this film isn't getting better publicity.

David Kim (John Cho) and his wife Pamela (Sarah Sohn) live in an age of technology. When their daughter Margot (Michelle La) is five, they begin organizing their lives around their home computer. From address books to a photographic record of Margot's first days of school, their lives reside with their technology. They are like the rest of us. Computers have documented the important things in their lives, their mundane schedules and appointments and their secrets. Following Pamela's death, David and Margot have trouble communicating. Most is done via text message. When Margot disappears, David begins his search, connecting with his daughter in new ways when he begins seeing her through the lens of her technology.

Many films have incorporated technology into the story line. There was a film called Unsane shot entirely using an iPhone that comes closest to providing a technology perspective for an entire film. Most films augment the traditional cinematic framing with text messages or emails in an overlay format. Searching felt unique to me because the entire film is viewed from the perspective of the technology. The film is viewed from PC cameras, surveillance footage, smartphone cameras and computer screens. The perspective is seamless enough that I had to watch closely to see if they slipped up at all. I don't recall any segment of the movie that did not incorporate technology directly into the visual aspects of the movie. Most importantly, it was an effective use of the medium. It did not feel gimmicky.

The story has an interesting plot that has a few twists and turns along the way. I had the plot figured out about halfway through the story, but it was interesting to watch develop. They story had nice divergences to keep the pacing steady and cloud the plot enough to keep people guessing. The film had minor contrivances, but it was okay. For the story to be told entirely within the technology, there had to be a few coincidences. I can live with that. The narrative arc had a nice slope with a couple of rewarding twists at the end that helped tie the story together. This is a film that you have to watch closely for clues, as well. There is a lot of information that is visual. I enjoyed that aspect of the story. Which is also how I figured things out.

I am familiar with John Cho's work. He has been in several popular films, with Star Trek the most recognizable. He has done plenty of television as well. He is a strong actor who did a great job carrying the bulk of this film. Michelle La is a relative new comer. She has done two television shows (single episodes) prior to this film. Her part was much smaller than Cho, but she did a great job. I like her. I hope we see more of her in the future. Debra Messing played the role of detective in this story. She has a large body of television and lesser known films on her resume. She was strong as well. This film was well cast. It felt credible to me, in large part because of the performances.

Searching received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. There is a slight bit of violence and talk of a suicide, marijuana and talk about smoking it, adult themes and intense situations. This film is pretty tame. I thought it was appropriate for any age. Although older children and adults will enjoy it more. You have to pay attention to fully appreciate this film. Anyone easily distracted will miss the clues. The film has a run time of one hour, 42 minutes.

I hate films that are manipulative or gimmicky. Searching could easily have become distracted by the technology and whiffed on the story. The delivery and story were equally impressive. It is a format that allowed for great intensity and interpretive story-telling. The film buried a few clues in the imagery and allowed the audience to participate a bit in the sleuthing. The effective use of technology gave this film unique qualities that offset a few contrivances required to deliver the story fully. It worked. That's what matters most. This film is worth seeing at the theater. 8/10.

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