I have never been a fan of films that take place entirely from a computer screen. As much of the footage comes from laptop cameras and often low budget, low skilled performances. Often enough these films stick to the horror genre and aren't anything all that interesting, mostly just being bait for teens with a little cash and willing to group up over the weekends and splurge on cinema tickets. These films have always been ones that I pay zero attention to, but today I was browsing through Amazon Prime Video looking for something new to watch, willing to make the gamble on something I might hate. I had no idea that Searching took place mostly from computer screen before diving in, however. Upon finding this out, I was pretty uncertain as to what I'd think of it, and whether it was worth continuing with. That familiar judgemental attitude I had before creeping in!
Instead I decided to stick with it, but very quickly Searching became a film that really pulled me in. Finding myself really appreciating the story and the twists it had. Not caring for the digital side of it all, mostly due to the ways in which it was integrated into the story and feeling like it all had much more to say beyond just being a film that lives on social media. I'm quite surprised by this film, enjoying the ways of its simplicity while having storytelling that reminded me of older immersive visual novel games and point and click adventures, following a similar structure in how the narrative unveils itself over time. John Cho was also a pleasant surprise, particularly after the total miscasting and failure that was Netflix's attempt at a live action Cowboy Bebop series. It reminded me that this actor is actually quite good, and he certainly added to the film and kept things rolling as the main character. This is just the usual little introduction to the review and I feel I can't stop praising the film!
Well, there may be a few spoilers here and there from this point on, but major spoilers will be avoided.
Searching
There's been a plethora of social commentary films that look into the horrors of social media and the ways in which things are never quite what they seem to be, and while that's true, very few of them consider the horrors of social media usage that comes with the massive amounts of personal information we leave sitting around without realising. The reusing of usernames, reverse image searching tools, full names used on platforms. Even location data and the simple words we share online can paint pictures of who we are and where we have been, and are likely to go. It doesn't take a lot of time and effort to piece together a person from this easily available information. We do it willingly, without realising the dangers of sharing too much as, well, we are in fact encouraged by such platforms to share all we can. Instead of being yet another commentary on how social media is bad, Searching instead shows the delicate nature of our online presences, even if we appear to be secretive and have security measures over who should have access to our profiles. Social engineering being one of the most successful methods of gathering intel and leading to account breaches. That security question keeping bad guys out of your email address on what your favourite food is? Perhaps don't share so many images of pizza on Instagram!
To dive into this theme in such a lengthy manner is not without its reason. Searching is a film in which a family loses their mother, a father losing his wife. Left with his daughter who seems a bit of a high achiever. A regular, healthy home. Though one night the daughter goes missing, leaving behind missed calls. The father then taking it upon himself to figure out what happened and try to find her, all while the police attempt to do the same. Though we see the methods police don't pursue, the digital realm where things can easily become connected. The father roams around old chats, discovering social media platforms and slowly trying to find information on what his daughter may have gotten herself into. There's a lot of tension that builds up throughout this film, and despite the seemingly slow nature of the film taking place from what looks like a screen recording, it's actually done very well. Much of the pacing works well with this method, as the father constantly shifts between tabs, between news reports and text messages, constantly in motion showing the panic and willpower he has to find any data.
Following back to the ideas presented, the film still does have some social commentary to share. Though going beyond just social media and more into the selfish and cruel nature of people during tough times. We see how the public reactions to the loss of his daughter, and how people latch on to various theories and cruelties. Hate mail becomes the norm, internet personalities throw out various hit pieces and discussions on what happened and whether the father is at fault for the daughter's disappearance. We see how people in earlier scenes that claimed to have not been his daughter's friends, suddenly claiming to be great friends with her now that the media is throwing stories on them. There's a very cruel and vicious nature to this strange mentality that people have in such times. Showing how people latch on with agendas and lack any empathy. Taking advantage of bot topics in the media and pursuing it for their own selfish gains. The film handles this really well and it feels quite harrowing to witness. It's very reminding of the social media we have now, but rather than telling us how bad it is, it paints this idea in a really effective way that shows just how bizarre it all is, mostly due to the fact that we are seeing it from the perspective of a father we know is innocent. Now a victim of mob culture.
Outside of this is the film's main story, of course handled by John Cho. With a runtime that's relatively long, the film really straps you in for a ride and pulls you along. There's a plethora of twist and turns that aim to pull you in one direction and then start moving in another. Misdirection is what keeps the film interesting, constantly proving your theories wrong just when you're getting close to thinking you've discovered what happened and who did it. The way the film does this is great, constantly toying with the audience and having it as a way to pace the film. We get snippets of assumed big discoveries, only to lead nowhere. This pushes the film back into the eerie researching elements as the father roams around the Internet trying to find new things out about his daughter and who she may have been seeing. In a way I sort of forgot what sort of style the film had, not caring for the screen recording style it has. It actually felt very fresh, something very different and done well enough to keep me wanting to see how things ended up. Not to forget that the film even pursues an Easter egg story within it, as we see news reports and headlines throughout the film which imply some sort of alien invasion or discovery taking place over the week. Even this goes to show how much surrounds us, yet we fail to realise it.
The directing actually has you feeling like you're some creepy outsider watching in on someone's misery. Seeing the laptop camera view of the father even when he isn't in any video calls. We see his desperation setting in, the stress and panic as discoveries are made. The screen recording style actually worked really well here for this. Instead of just watching the film, we get this uncomfortable feeling like we are already in a call with him, feeling and witnessing the emotions he's feeling. You start to empathise with him through this, feeling immersed and almost uncomfortable at how useless you are in it all, seeing the information coming in at the same time it does to the father. Only discovering things alongside him, meaning we never actually get ahead.
By the time it had ended, I was surprised at what I had seen. With simple ideas but done really well. Heavily immersive, with some mediocre performances outside of John Cho, the rest of the film is pretty solid. It feels personal and deeply rich in emotion through the constant cycling through accounts and messages. With a narrative that does not disappoint. Apparently this is the debut feature for director Aneesh Chaganty, and I feel they did a great job and hit the right number of notes to make a decent film. Definitely exceeding my expectations, and definitely something I can recommend if you're wanting a bit of a mystery to explore.
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