written by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian
In 2015, a small film called Unfriended caught the public's eye through its unconventional approach to horror. This was a film set entirely on a laptop screen, and while reactions were mixed, the film was successful enough to warrant a sequel this past July. It remains a novel gimmick, and one which resonates with modern anxieties about technology. Aneesh Chaganty's Searching takes the same approach to a straightforward mystery thriller, and it's such an obvious fit that one wonders why it hasn't already been milked to death.
Searching is certainly a novel and clever approach to mystery storytelling, but it's also one which finds the thematic hooks such an approach begs for and exploits them for all they're worth. By the end, the film has become a character study, not of its missing subject but of the protagonist who is doing the searching. Its approach is imperfect, but the film smartly reminds us of how the internet allows us to develop dual identities, and it also reminds us of how discovery can reveal as much about ourselves as what we're discovering.
Following the death of his wife, David Kim (John Cho) has grown increasingly distant from his daughter, Margot (Michelle La). One day, Margot suddenly stops returning his texts and calls, and nobody knows where she is. With the help of Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing), as well as emotional support from his brother Peter (Joseph Lee), he immediately sets out to find her. Along the way, he discovers that he didn't know his daughter nearly as well as he thought.
As a mystery, Searching is highly effective in parcelling out information, hiding every clue inside a new file folder, behind a new password, or at at the end of a new phone call. As said, the film is set entirely on a computer screen, so the audience is almost always looking at a Windows home screen, a web browser, or a chat program. This approach is consistently utilized to enhance the mystery, as every new piece of information is hidden either on a hard drive or on the internet. In effect, this allows us to witness the physical process of David's investigation, revealing each new clue from the character's perspective. This is effective as a technique for narrative immersion, but it also provides a degree of audience identification which enhances the film's attempts at character development.
For better and for worse, the film provides some more conventional tricks to make this more accessible, regularly cutting to a close-up of important information, and the footage is still diced up into montages, with emotive music to boot. These elements do detract from the film's freshness, but they also allow for some intriguing juxtapositions. New revelations are consistently presented in a way which also informs the audience of what David knows, while also expanding on the specific nature of his relationship with Margot. This enhances audience identification with David, which is a significant part of what makes its thrills so effective, while also grounding the film in character. As he grows more anxious, the montages grow more intense, enforcing his viewpoint on the audience.
Communications are regularly held over video chat programs, and this is where the cast gets the most opportunity to act. Cho is particularly impressive, deftly handling David's deteriorating emotional state through little more than a series of video conversations and the occasional extra footage. But despite the conventionality of the conversations here, the best moments come when information is parcelled out mid-conversation. The film accomplishes some unique thrills by dividing attention between the conversation and the visual evidence being presented, combining the information explained by the characters with related information presented through internet searches and shared files.
Where Searching is less effective is in its scenes of straightforward exposition. Around the midway point, the film begins to dump large quantities of information through news broadcasts, and while the majority of the second half retains the techniques which made the first half so interesting, these broadcasts aren't the most effective use of the gimmick, and break audience identification by regularly featuring David on the scene. Thankfully, they reinforce one of the film's less prominent themes: the increased visibility brought on by the investigation. To put it in vague terms, David becomes increasingly aware of what people are saying about him and Margot, which adds further emotional weight to his character arc as his desperation gives way to less justifiable behaviour.
More than that, Searching is about a gap in understanding between parents and their children. The most emotionally effecting moments in the film transpire when David learns something new about his daughter, retroactively expanding the gulf between them. When the film begins, we understand one persona which Margot has presented to her father, but over time we begin to see how Margot has built a new one online, entirely segregated from her home life. This emotional distance between father and daughter is presented in the context of family tragedy, and also becomes intertwined in other themes about online anonymity and youthful naivete.
All of this is accompanied by a pervasive sense of uncertainty, but unfortunately, the film abandons that in a tidy, expository ending which, while satisfying as a shock beat, misses the opportunity to do something more challenging. This ending expands on the film's themes of family while also paying off various subtle clues from earlier in the story, but alas it's also faintly ableist, and ultimately gives far too many answers in a story which would have benefited from leaving the audience with lingering questions. Many aspects about this ending are satisfying, but it's not up to the caliber of the film preceding.
Despite the potential of its premise, Searching isn't interested in avant-garde formal tricks. Instead, it's a solid thriller which gains novelty from its unique gimmick, tapping into poignant and relevant themes through both that gimmick and the turns of its narrative. It pulls various tricks to make itself cinematic, but it's most exciting in its methodical delivery of information, and the combination of distinctive visual storytelling and emotionally evocative editing present a film with both the style and substance to live beyond its twists and gimmick. It's aesthetic is imperfect, but it's intriguing, and moreover, it's grounded in tangible emotional stakes and compelling themes. Whatever else one might say about the film, that potent combo is highly admirable.
7/10
+ Novel gimmick presented in a uniquely cinematic fashion.
+ Methodical flow of information is complemented by that gimmick.
+ Intriguing themes about family and technology.
- Could have been more experimental.
- Scenes of news footage are less effective than other formal tricks.
- Iffy ending.
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