Modern technology grants anyone in the world who has the luxury of internet access the opportunity to effortlessly create another identity via social media. Whether you're creating an alter ego that resembles the person you secretly wish you were or choosing to highlight every activity you engage in on a daily basis, these platforms makes it extremely easy to deliver a snapshot of your thoughts and experiences that may or may not be real to the masses in a matter of seconds. Annesh Chagnaty applies how the sometimes harmless and sometimes horrifying anonymity that stems from this all-consuming digital world to a missing person mystery thriller with his feature-length debut Searching.
Through this story of a widowed father (John Cho, in another excellent dramatic turn for the actor best known as Harold from the cult stoner comedy trilogy Harold and Kumar) trying to find his 16-year old daughter (Michelle La), Chagnaty manages to explore the sense of community as well as the rampant emotional manipulation that make these digital platforms simultaneously appealing and terrifying. Of course there's some obvious"parents discovering their teenager isn't the flawless angel" material that isn't overly interesting or resonant, but once you get past those obligatory "shocking" narrative developments, there's some truly fascinating commentary here about the effects these platforms have on human behavior. This story is as much about dealing with grief and the consequences of acting upon the primal instinct most parents have to protect their children from harm in the digital age as it is exposing who the people behind these mysterious online aliases truly are. These unexpected angles that Chagnaty and his co-writer Sev Ohanian put into this story along with the added realism of using the many online tools that can be used to aid in a missing person investigation, helps Searching standout from similar entries in this relatively popular subgenre.
However, this modern, relatively grounded approach to solving a mystery also manages to hinder Searching's effectiveness as a thriller. The narrative framing device of telling this story text messages, Facetime calls, news footage, etc. completely undercuts the development of tension at just about every turn. Every suspicion, potential motive or any other burning question regarding the disappearance is acted on so swiftly that there's absolutely no chance for a nerve-frying buildup or cathartic emotional payoff to take place. While a clever third act twist that I didn't see coming definitely helps make up for this general lack of suspense, some more time for the developments to breathe would've done wonders for this engaging flick that routinely flashes, but ultimately falls short of greatness.
Through this story of a widowed father (John Cho, in another excellent dramatic turn for the actor best known as Harold from the cult stoner comedy trilogy Harold and Kumar) trying to find his 16-year old daughter (Michelle La), Chagnaty manages to explore the sense of community as well as the rampant emotional manipulation that make these digital platforms simultaneously appealing and terrifying. Of course there's some obvious"parents discovering their teenager isn't the flawless angel" material that isn't overly interesting or resonant, but once you get past those obligatory "shocking" narrative developments, there's some truly fascinating commentary here about the effects these platforms have on human behavior. This story is as much about dealing with grief and the consequences of acting upon the primal instinct most parents have to protect their children from harm in the digital age as it is exposing who the people behind these mysterious online aliases truly are. These unexpected angles that Chagnaty and his co-writer Sev Ohanian put into this story along with the added realism of using the many online tools that can be used to aid in a missing person investigation, helps Searching standout from similar entries in this relatively popular subgenre.
However, this modern, relatively grounded approach to solving a mystery also manages to hinder Searching's effectiveness as a thriller. The narrative framing device of telling this story text messages, Facetime calls, news footage, etc. completely undercuts the development of tension at just about every turn. Every suspicion, potential motive or any other burning question regarding the disappearance is acted on so swiftly that there's absolutely no chance for a nerve-frying buildup or cathartic emotional payoff to take place. While a clever third act twist that I didn't see coming definitely helps make up for this general lack of suspense, some more time for the developments to breathe would've done wonders for this engaging flick that routinely flashes, but ultimately falls short of greatness.
Grade: B
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