Review of Searching (2018) by Matt G — 07 Sep 2018

Our modern, tech-heavy, screen-focused world is a dichotomy. The insidious and powerful danger of an internet-dependent world is that it manages to make us both more connected and less connected simultaneously. It provides us with unending knowledge and leisure, but also isolates and exacerbates loneliness. Searching uses its unique storytelling gimmick (everything taking place within the characters' screens) to get this across, all while giving us a solid crime-mystery-thriller that replaces the genre-staples of quick edits and shaky cameras with dramatic clicks-and-drags.

The film opens with a powerfully moving, Up-esque montage (where we get to see massive jumps in technology over the past 10 years), before settling into its proper story. Cho plays a widowing father whose daughter suddenly goes missing, and he has only her digital and social media presence to help him find her. With the slowly revealed clues and skin-crawling details, it will certainly tickle the fancy of currently ubiquitous murder-porn addicts. However, director Chaganty's control over tone (especially the moments of welcome comic relief) and Cho's soulful lead turn make this scene-turner shine above lesser, seedier whodunnits.

Sure, there are some less-than-realistic moments that hurt the flow. For one thing, I don't know anyone who uses computers as thoroughly as these people (does anyone actually use the address book on their computer desktop? If so, I doubt they fill in the notes section with details on how they know the person). It also isn't completely immune from the melodrama that can often accompany mystery-tragedies like this. Mostly though, Searching is a heart-pounding, devastating, and undeniably compelling experiment.