SEARCHING (12A) REVIEW

Searching follows a father who, mind the pun, searches for his missing daughter with the entire action playing out through the use of screens, whether that be through a computer, TV set or CCTV. Searching stars John Cho, of Star Trek fame, as the lead. Cho is supported by Michella La and Debra Messing.

The is one that is all to similar, we have seen the daughter go missing and the father go looking idea done many a time. Instead SEARCHING executes the premise much better than the lazy cash grabs. By showing the film through the various technological formats the mystery of the thriller is maintained literally until the final 5 minutes which I thought I had figured out twice before the truth was revealed. This in itself is a hallmark of a good thriller. Always keep you guessing. If you can predict the outcome within the first two acts, then the movie has failed to do the job sufficiently. SEARCHING takes on the mystery through the eyes of John Cho’s father figure and we feel his helplessness as he searches for cues and answers. Creating covert edge of your seat drama is not an easy feat and a large part of this is down to the writing of Cho’s character but also the performance given. Cho is a terrific actor and SEARCHING only highlights this further.

The idea of depicting the movie through screens may sound like a gimmick at first but, as previously mentioned, many of the strengths of the feature come through this. By not going out of the realms of that one viewpoint the movie hides its secrets. Secrecy of the movie keeps the viewer drawn in throughout with the 1hr40 runtime flying by.

SEARCHING is not just a thriller by nature and touches on some more human themes such as that of loss and how one tries to hide from it by shutting off to the rest of the world both literally and figuratively in this case. Looking past the thriller aspect of SEARCHING is important because it changes one’s reception to this. At the heart of the film is a father who questions himself and whether he knows his daughter, in large part due to the revelations that occur mainly within the second act.

In the age of spoilers and promo material in many respects ruining a film it is refreshing to see a thriller/mystery movie keep more or less all the reveals to the actual feature film. As such a more engrossing end product is there to meet the audience.  In an age of blockbusters dominating the headlines it is refreshing to see a smaller scale movie entertain the audience, especially a thriller. SEARCHING is a prime example that innovating cinema and storytelling can often bring forward a great end product. Again, the format of telling the story does not make a great movie. For instance, there is an abundance of found footage films some good and some bad. Likewise, in the case of SEARCHING which could have been shot in the traditional way and the story would have been just as great.

SEARCHING can now be seen in cinemas nationwide.