CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
I watched Searching without any inkling what the movie is about apart from the fact that the lead star John Cho has become the first Asian American actor to lead a mainstream Hollywood thriller with this film.
Movie poster for Searching
It was only after watching the whole movie that I realized that the movie was set entirely within the confines of iPhones, iPad, laptops, webcams, text streams, YouTube videos, chat windows, email inboxes, Facetime, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Venmo, Reddit, Google Maps, GPS apps, CCTV and home movies. It makes the audience feel that they are logging in, clicking and typing along with the characters in real time, creating a voyeuristic intimacy between the audience and the characters. It highlights the computer-centric world most of us are immersed in today.
John Cho shines in his role as David Kim, a widower raising his 16-year-old daughter, Margot (played by Michelle La, in her first major role), in suburban San Jose, Calif. In the opening montage lifted from Up, we see David and his wife Pamela (played by Sara Sohn) raising Margot over the years through a series of photos, videos and calendar entries that depict the passage of time and Pamela’s battle with cancer.
In the present day, David and Margot live busy lives between work and school, communicating mostly through text messages and FaceTime calls. One day, Margot tells David she is attending a study group session after school. David retires to bed and misses two calls from Margot during the night. The next morning, David realizes that Margot did not come home and sees the two missed calls. He calls and sends text messages to Margot but there is no reply from her. Fear starts to grip David and he goes on a desperate search.
Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) is assigned to the case and David works closely with her to try to put the pieces together. But the more they uncover, from Margot’s behavioural patterns on social media and her digital footprints, the more David realizes he didn’t really know his only child.
Searching is a well-crafted, very innovative and white-knuckle thriller. It is a true game-changer and a real achievement from first-time director Aneesh Chaganty. There are enough red herrings to make Agatha Christie proud.
The film reflects on the biggest irony of our lives — loneliness and human disconnect in times of online connectivity. Our attachment to digital devices fosters the illusion of more contact while it actually drives us further apart.
Watch the official trailer for the movie:
