David Pierdomenico
In recent years, it seems that “Web Footage” or “Desktop Thrillers” are making their mark on Hollywood (more on that here). It’s been done well with Unfriended: Dark Web (not so much with the original though), as well as Ratter. The style itself has enormous potential, and Searching is clearly the film that utilizes it best thus far.
Establishing Strong Characters
Not since Up has a film so brilliantly told a story in the first few minutes, all while using minimal scenes and dialogue to do so. Searching opens with a computer screen and a montage of pictures being uploaded, calendar events, and all the other mundane things people do. But in showcasing these ordinary activities, it begins to tell a story. We are introduced to a daughter growing up too fast, a mother struggling with health issues, and a father trying his best to keep it all together.
A Parent’s Worst Nightmare
David Kim (John Cho) has his world shaken to its very core when his daughter Margot (Michelle La) doesn’t come home from study group one night. Once it officially becomes a missing person case, Detective Vick (Debra Messing) tells him that the best thing he can do is find out as much as he can about Margot’s friends, and her activities prior to the disappearance. As he combs through her social media accounts and reaches out to her contacts, he’s disturbed to discover that there’s a great deal he doesn’t know about her.
It’s doubly distressing as not only does David not know where his daughter is, but he’s realizing that maybe he hasn’t been as involved as he should have been. It will hit close to home for any parent, particularly those with teenage children. And it’s here that the “Web Footage” style really shines. The audience’s entire vantage point is his computer’s webcam, which only adds to his overwhelming sense of isolation and futility. He’s forced to spend most of the film in his bedroom at the computer or on the phone, incredibly frustrated at not being able to do more. This eventually leads him to become irrational, but what parent wouldn’t, given the situation? The film successfully demonstrates how our online culture makes us seem more connected, but in reality only detaches us from human contact.
Genuinely Good Thriller
In addition to the unique style, the film still succeeds at keeping the audience on edge the entire time. As David does his research, it opens up endless threads and possibilities. On any other film, this might work to its detriment, creating too many threads and potential red herrings. But as we experience this investigation from this desperate father’s point of view, we too are overwhelmed by the mass amount of information he finds. We too feel lost in a sea of uncertainty. Towards the end, there are a few things that do feel a bit contrived, but this is merely a minor flaw in an overall strong film. It’s all the more impressive when considering that this is director Aneesh Chaganty’s first feature length film.
There is not much more than can be said without spoiling any of the numerous twists and turns the plot takes. It’s far from the first “Web Footage” film ever made, but it’s the first one that really makes the best use of the style and will no doubt inspire many other films. It’s tense, brilliantly acted, emotional, and heartbreaking, all at the same time.
