Good Morning Lovelies, 

Often, they tell us to stay away from computer screens, but there is no way to do so when watching Searching. Presented through bizarre spreadsheets, YouTube clips and Google searches, the film shows an anguished father trying to find out what has happened to his daughter.

When his wife tragically dies due to cancer, David (John Cho) is left to parent his teenage daughter, Margot (Michelle La) alone. Trying to navigate their two worlds, the pair seems to have a solid relationship. Until Margot goes missing and David, while trying to get her back, discovers he may not have known her at all.

Created by the first-time director Aneesh Chaganty, who made some of Google’s most celebrated videos, the feature demonstrates incredibly well how the people we think we know are not what they seem. Played out through the clever use of technology, the computer becomes the home of the film and different matters are presented at the click of a button. From a childhood photo album to calendar updates, life is simple. It is micro-managed, and, in a few moments, we can find out all we need to know about the characters. Even how the detective (Debra Messing) leading the hunt for Margot is doing.


Technology is the heart of this film in fact, even with the background and thrilling nature of the story. It shows how urgent a moment is. It presents a flickering screen as a moment of pure anguish. It allows Cho to use the idea of breaking the fourth wall and eye moments to give audiences a father’s desperation.

In a world where most people work at computers or spend time at them, the film cleverly gives audiences the setting, characters and thrills through one outlook. It is a modern story with a modern way and it works throughout.

There so, I am giving it…