Searching (2018) - Movie Review
- Red
- Jan 30, 2023
- 4 min read
Directed by Aneesh Chaganty
Searching, directed by Aneesh Chaganty (his feature debut!) takes a conventional story and reinvents the way it's told. It cleverly succeeds in staying one step ahead of the viewer at all times.
The movie was a box office success, grossing over $75 million worldwide, with a budget of just $880,000. The entire film was shot in less than 2 weeks too, although the editing process took a year and a half!
The gripping mystery centres around a father, David Kim, whose teenage daughter (Margot) suddenly disappears. Throughout the movie, he works relentlessly alongside a police detective to determine what happened. However, this movie differs from others as the audience sees the events of the film solely through screens. It's more versatile than you may think, as we jump from computer screens, FaceTime calls, CCTV cameras, mobile phones, text messages, news reports etc, although we never see a "traditional" scene. I found this premise interesting but I thought that watching an entire movie from this perspective would make the film feel stale after a while. I was proven very wrong - this doesn't feel like a gimmick. The creators put good storytelling first, and it just happens to be told through this POV. It absolutely sets this movie apart from others and is a fresh change from watching a traditional film. For me however, the most impressive aspect of "Searching" is its ability to tell a realistic, heartfelt story with character development and relationships from this angle - it's a story first, not a gimmick.
John Cho plays the lead role in this film, and does so very well. The audience sympathises with him and roots for him throughout. Cho's emotions are raw and convincing - it really feels as though we're watching a father going through this experience, feeling determined, heartbroken but also hopeful. We witness his character's arc throughout, which is written very well.
The film opens with a touching montage of the family's past memories, reminiscent of the one from Pixar's "Up". This exposition doesn't feel forced, and is successful in making the audience feel invested in the characters from the get-go. We don't know much about Margot herself at this point but this sequence tells us a lot about the family and their relationship over the years. Debra Messing plays the detective well, although the character is somewhat stereotypical.
This film has plenty of emotion, which is balanced well with edge-of-your-seat moments and humour sprinkled sparingly throughout, which thankfully doesn't break the tension. Cho's stellar performance gives goosebump-inducing moments, and the writers & directors' decision for the audience to learn things at the same time as our protagonist was a great one. It's fun to piece together the clues, especially because certain things mentioned early on in the film get paid off later on. The director guides your eye and hints at what you should pay attention to. He also does a very good job of blocking the actors and the convincing performances really seem as though the actors are actually using their digital devices.
It's important in every movie that the audience understands the characters' inner thoughts and feelings. This would've been a difficult task for "Searching" due to the fact that it's entirely set on screens. Instead of writing lengthy, unnatural dialogue for David while he was using the computer, the film conveys his thoughts by having him write a text, then delete it, and replace it with something else. This is far better than bloated dialogue, as it's something real that a lot of people actually do, but don't really think about. It's a creative and unique way to give us insight into David's mind.
The characters' decisions make sense throughout the film, and every twist and turn works. As a viewer, we are trying to piece the puzzle together, and each time we think we've solved it, the film subverts our expectations for the better. The ending is satisfying and not one part of the film feels rushed - there's a great pace which is improved by the high stakes. The concept of time feels real and the tension is present as we watch David fight against the clock in hope of finding his daughter.
Furthermore, the grounded and realistic tone is solidified by its use of real brand names, such as Google, YouTube and FaceTime. Having fake brand names would have hindered the immersion and would have reminded the audience that this is a movie not a true story. There are characters with false personas online who also pretend to be closer friends to certain characters than they really are. This is something we see online in real life, and therefore makes the internet in the movie true to life.
"Searching" is a very entertaining and clever film that takes a rather conventional plot and makes it fresh by telling the story in a unique way whilst adding plenty of twists and red herrings that keep the viewer guessing. Its "gimmick" doesn't feel like one, and is used well - it isn't monotonous nor distracting, instead, it's creative. It's well written and features applaudable direction, but it's John Cho's performance that really pulls the movie together. I look forward to watching the sequel, "Missing" later in 2023!
Watch Searching on Prime Video
Comments