“Searching,” directed by Aneesh Chaganty, confirms all your fears of living in a world powered by social media.
The story follows father David Kim and his daughter, Margot, and their relationship after the death of her mother. The movie is shot entirely through computer screens of various formats throughout the film. Through the opening montage of pictures and videos we learn that David has recently lost his wife to cancer, leaving a void in his and Margot’s lives, disconnecting them.
Soon after this, David texts Margot and rethinks his message multiple times before sending it. It shows the relationship between people and the electronics that allow us to perfect our words rather than in-person where you can’t change what you say. David later Facetimes Margot to check in and learns she’ll be home late as she is at study group.
But she never does come home. He wakes up to missed calls and texts from her telling him to pick up. After multiple tries at getting ahold of her, he decides to figure out where she’s gone. He then files a missing persons report with Detective Rosemary Vick and they begin the search to find Margot.The film uses phone cameras, surveillance footage, computer screens and livestreaming to tell the story through the lens of people living in the digital age.
One thing this film does especially well is the realism through the screens by having the same graininess as most, rather than trying to have the clearness as a professional camera. This is unlike the movie “Unsane,” which I saw earlier this year, that was filmed entirely on an IPhone 7 but struggled to keep me interested as the camera was always blurry or washed out from the constant changes in lighting throughout.
The overall plot has been used time and time again and is still predictable in many ways, but it’s the few key scenes and twists that make this movie stand out more than the ones before it.
I don’t know where the future of this kind of filming is going but “Searching” is a step in the right direction. I recommend this movie to anyone looking for a more unique watching experience and that enjoys great characters and chemistry.
