Review: Searching

Aneesh Chaganty's directorial debut, Searching, has a clever conceit: what if one told a story predominantly through computer screens? Though it does become somewhat hampered by its gimmick, Searching is nevertheless a meticulously constructed, surprisingly emotionally grounded, and tremendously solid work that also provides John Cho with another fine showcase for his underrated dramatic skills.

The opening montage effectively conveys the Kim family's back story via home videos and photos, calendar events, and email messages as David (Cho) roots through the contents of his computer. We see the important moments of his daughter Margot's life, from first school days to piano lessons with her Pamela (Sara Sohn) to talent recitals. We also witness the progression of Pamela's illness as she's diagnosed with lymphoma to her remission to the resurfacing of her cancer and finally to the notice of her passing. Even if the rest of Searching had fallen flat, the execution and depth of feeling established in this sequence would mark Chaganty as a filmmaker to watch.

In the present day, David and the now sixteen-year-old Margot (Michelle La) are still adjusting to life with only each other. What starts off with the usual awkward but loving exchange about taking out the trash and study groups soon turns into every parent's worst nightmare when Margot fails to respond to any of his texts and messages and David realises that his daughter has gone missing. An understandably panicked David starts contacting all of her friends, only to discover that Margot was more classmate than friend; more disturbingly, her piano teacher informs David that Margot had stopped taking lessons six months ago.

With the missing persons detective (Debra Messing) assigned to the case by his side, David begins to uncover more unsettling information about his daughter as he methodically goes through all her social media accounts and online chats. When Margot's disappearance is deemed a kidnapping and the case goes viral resulting in #FindMargot and #DadDidIt hashtags, the film moves into more suspenseful territory with a touch of social commentary. The onslaught of information populating the screens becomes an ingenious method of both transparency and disguise. Much like The Usual Suspects, the clues are all out in the open...but only if you know where to look.

Though the film does slacken a bit in the final stretch, it contains enough twists to be a compelling watch. One really has to applaud Chaganty and his team for accomplishing such a technically complex task without losing the story's emotional core.

Searching

Directed by: Aneesh Chaganty

Written by: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian

Starring: John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La, Sara Sohn, Joseph Lee, Steven Michael Eich