Searching is both technically dazzling and unexpectedly moving
A film that unfolds entirely on computer screens (or any technological gadget) may sound like an uninviting idea, but "Searching" (2018, USA) makes sure that all of our first impressions are dispelled right away. A Sundance-launched debut by Aneesh Chaganty, the film hooks us immediately in the first few minutes in its montage, by way of video and photo clips, emails and Windows calendar reminders, of the particular milestones in the childhood and early teenage years of the main character's only daughter, up until the untimely death of his wife due to cancer. This part is surprising in itself, because while economically and ingeniously constructed, it manages to be surprisingly moving as well. Thankfully, the film is able to live up to the promise of its opening montage all throughout.
A film that was almost rejected by John Cho (who plays the father David) had not the director been able to convince the actor the second time that he would handle the film's "techie" storytelling in a different way. Seeing the film itself, the director indeed kept his word. Every hovering of the mouse pointer, every opening of an app, every communication flashed onscreen (whether in text or voice form), and every navigation done on the web pulsate with deeply-felt emotions. There's a heart that beats within all the technological overload. Chaganty doesn't let the humanist vein be overwhelmed by all the online interactions. That's the small miracle of "Searching": It moves you in surprising ways.
The fact is, "Searching" is really surprising. Though working on a familiar searching-for-a-missing-person template, Chaganty (who also penned the screenplay along with "Fruitvale Station" producer Sev Ohanian) manages to offer not a few genuinely unsettling twists and turns, all the more so because you realize afterwards that the red flags had been there all along which the clever writing was able to make it appear as nothing unusual. Just when we thought a major revelation has already happened, here comes another one which completely upends the "settled" feeling that we've already gained from the knowledge of the previous one. Ultimately, while "Searching" does a good job of generating suspense out of its tech-savvy storytelling, the film delivers a pointed message about the prevalence of technology and social media in modern society, for better or for worse.
A social media platform like YouCast can dubiously fill the void that one feels in one's life (like the loneliness of David's daughter Margot);or something like YouTube can bring a personal incident to the court of public opinion and have it relentlessly judged without even knowing the real story behind it (like David's brawl with his daughter's arrogant classmate);or something like Facebook can get us instant "friends" when you're suddenly the object of media's attention (like some of Margot's classmates who couldn't care less);or a seemingly harmless online service can be deviously used by some people to manipulate someone's fragile emotions (like how one key character does that to David). In the same way that though David isn't all that familiar with all the online platforms available (he asks at one point what is Tumblr), they have unexpectedly provided him clues that point to what really happened to his beloved daughter. As far as I know, "Searching" is the only film to date that's able to present the two faces of contemporary social media in a truly insightful and neither-patronizing-nor-mocking manner.
More importantly, what keeps the audience glued to the proceedings the entire time, without the fear of having the narrative gimmick wear away eventually, is the touching father-daughter dynamics at the heart of the film. There's a relatable human relationship that drives all the tech-savviness that we're seeing. A genre film done the right, if not the perfect, way is also beautiful cinema. John Cho, as he has displayed in the anti-romantic "Columbus", is terrific in the lead role, making us completely forget the image of him that we associate with all the "Harold & Kumar" stoner comedies that he did before (though there's kind of a nod to those movies, in the person of David's brother who was revealed to use weed later on). As a father who's likely to endure a double tragedy in his life, the actor is a maelstrom of feelings: affection, fear, doubt, anger and confusion. In his own resourceful way, he's able to embody what every parent may dread the most to discover: that they don't know everything about their children.
Thus, "Searching" touches as well on a certain kind of parental horror: that no matter how hard they try and no matter how sincere their intentions may be, parents can't take full control of their children's lives. If it's any comfort, the film doesn't exactly end on a sad note. But the road going to that resolution was never less than rocky. "Searching" is one dazzling and involving cinema.
(John Cho must use all means available to find his missing daughter before it becomes too late in Aneesh Chaganty's "Searching")
A film that was almost rejected by John Cho (who plays the father David) had not the director been able to convince the actor the second time that he would handle the film's "techie" storytelling in a different way. Seeing the film itself, the director indeed kept his word. Every hovering of the mouse pointer, every opening of an app, every communication flashed onscreen (whether in text or voice form), and every navigation done on the web pulsate with deeply-felt emotions. There's a heart that beats within all the technological overload. Chaganty doesn't let the humanist vein be overwhelmed by all the online interactions. That's the small miracle of "Searching": It moves you in surprising ways.
The fact is, "Searching" is really surprising. Though working on a familiar searching-for-a-missing-person template, Chaganty (who also penned the screenplay along with "Fruitvale Station" producer Sev Ohanian) manages to offer not a few genuinely unsettling twists and turns, all the more so because you realize afterwards that the red flags had been there all along which the clever writing was able to make it appear as nothing unusual. Just when we thought a major revelation has already happened, here comes another one which completely upends the "settled" feeling that we've already gained from the knowledge of the previous one. Ultimately, while "Searching" does a good job of generating suspense out of its tech-savvy storytelling, the film delivers a pointed message about the prevalence of technology and social media in modern society, for better or for worse.
A social media platform like YouCast can dubiously fill the void that one feels in one's life (like the loneliness of David's daughter Margot);or something like YouTube can bring a personal incident to the court of public opinion and have it relentlessly judged without even knowing the real story behind it (like David's brawl with his daughter's arrogant classmate);or something like Facebook can get us instant "friends" when you're suddenly the object of media's attention (like some of Margot's classmates who couldn't care less);or a seemingly harmless online service can be deviously used by some people to manipulate someone's fragile emotions (like how one key character does that to David). In the same way that though David isn't all that familiar with all the online platforms available (he asks at one point what is Tumblr), they have unexpectedly provided him clues that point to what really happened to his beloved daughter. As far as I know, "Searching" is the only film to date that's able to present the two faces of contemporary social media in a truly insightful and neither-patronizing-nor-mocking manner.
More importantly, what keeps the audience glued to the proceedings the entire time, without the fear of having the narrative gimmick wear away eventually, is the touching father-daughter dynamics at the heart of the film. There's a relatable human relationship that drives all the tech-savviness that we're seeing. A genre film done the right, if not the perfect, way is also beautiful cinema. John Cho, as he has displayed in the anti-romantic "Columbus", is terrific in the lead role, making us completely forget the image of him that we associate with all the "Harold & Kumar" stoner comedies that he did before (though there's kind of a nod to those movies, in the person of David's brother who was revealed to use weed later on). As a father who's likely to endure a double tragedy in his life, the actor is a maelstrom of feelings: affection, fear, doubt, anger and confusion. In his own resourceful way, he's able to embody what every parent may dread the most to discover: that they don't know everything about their children.
Thus, "Searching" touches as well on a certain kind of parental horror: that no matter how hard they try and no matter how sincere their intentions may be, parents can't take full control of their children's lives. If it's any comfort, the film doesn't exactly end on a sad note. But the road going to that resolution was never less than rocky. "Searching" is one dazzling and involving cinema.
(John Cho must use all means available to find his missing daughter before it becomes too late in Aneesh Chaganty's "Searching")
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