David Kim (John Cho) is an ordinary man living in San Jose with his daughter, Margot (Michelle La), the archetypal teenage girl who loves her friends and is constantly frustrated with her father, who has raised her single-handedly since the death of her mother and David’s wife. However, when Margot doesn’t return home one evening, David starts to worry – and when it becomes clear that his daughter has gone missing, he experiences every parent’s worst nightmare. He is soon assisted by Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing), an efficient and dedicated investigator who is assigned the case. Over the next few days, David and Vick try and find Margot, mainly finding clues through her social media and online presence – and it leads them down a very dark, twisted road of deception and sheer horror as they discover that Margot was not the person everyone thinks she was.

I’ll get this out of the way right from the outset – Searching is one of the year’s best films, and probably the best surprise out of any film I’ve seen in the last few years. This is a mystery film that doesn’t lose the most crucial element – the suspense. The story is familiar, and the structure is innovative (even if not entirely original), and the result is a tremendously satisfying thriller that does not spare the audience even a moment to breathe. A film that successfully portrays the modern social media in a way very few works are able to, and effectively takes the audience on a shocking but enthralling journey into a mystery that may be thrilling but is also terrifyingly astute to the modern era. This is a film that I would not have paid much attention to had I just stumbled upon it, and it exceeded every expectation I had. This is a film that is far more astonishing than one would be led to believe, and I don’t think it would be wrong to consider this one of the year’s very best – if not because of its brilliant execution, at least for its earnest emotional content and genuine dedication to providing meaningful thrills throughout.

John Cho has come a long way, from broad but lifeless comedies such as American Pie and the Harold and Kumar films, to a mainstay of independent cinema, which has given us the chance to see Cho give astonishing performances in films such as last year’s masterful meditation on life and existence, Columbus, and the twisted neo-noir Gemini. Searching is his finest moment yet, and playing an ordinary man who undergoes a harrowing experience of losing his daughter, he is absolutely incredible. Despite the simplicity of the character, it didn’t require an actor who was just going to play David as an everyman, but rather someone who could convey that this was just a normal man who finds himself in a horrifying situation and has to convey the overt turmoil in a way that seems realistic. Cho’s performance is consistently excellent, and every moment he is on screen (which is essentially the entire film), feels undeniably authentic. Cho got beneath the surface of the character and gave a truthful, powerful performance that stands as one of the year’s very best. Debra Messing has another large role, and she was so good, it disappointed me that her career hasn’t extended too far into the film, because as demonstrated her, she is exceptionally talented when given the right material. Michelle La also shows promises as a newcomer, with an honest performance that is responsible for some of the film’s most emotional moments.

Where Searching sets itself apart as being a unique experience is in the way it is structured – the film is entirely shot from the perspective of smartphones and computer screens. This was an experiment attempted previously, most notably with the Unfriended films (unsurprisingly, the producer of these films, Timur Bekmambetov, also serves as a producer on Searching, which is probably going to be the only decent film on his filmography). I was initially hesitant about this aspect of Searching, because its an effective concept, but it doesn’t translate to a very good film, as shown previously. Yet, the result is something entirely extraordinary, and instead of just being a fun idea, it takes the concept and develops it into one of the most scathing indictments on the social media age ever made. It demonstrates the virtual lives of individuals and how many of them are very different people online, often exposing complete strangers to sides of themselves that they wouldn’t dare show those in their real lives. It carefully considers the way we use social media, as well as the little connections we make that seem insignificant and independent, but work together to create something far deeper that can link individuals in ways that are almost unimaginable. Searching looks at the social media age with as much scrutiny as it does awed respect – it acknowledges the sheer might of the virtual world, showing how it extends far beyond the playground of the modern world, and into a deep and extensive world that can be exhilarating and beautiful, but also terrifying and extremely dangerous if someone neglects to take precautions. Searching is far more than just the novelty of its structure – it is a cautionary tale about the power of the internet, a manifesto to its ability to be used as a tool for good, or an instrument of malice. For this reason alone, Searching is a tremendous film.

Moreover, there is something else about Searching that really moved me profoundly – while watching it, I felt something I haven’t felt in a long time: wonder. This is a true mystery film, and while the genre is obviously popular (especially in the realm of television), it has become so taut and well-worn, the element of surprise has ceased to exist. Searching brings back the exhilarating wonder that existed before, and on a personal level, I found Searching to be my exact kind of mystery story, one that doesn’t only dedicate itself to the central enigma, but also invites the audience to become active viewers in solving the mystery. This is a film filled with clues that are not obvious initially, but in hindsight are so clear. The film relies heavily on details, and the innovative structure allows us to see beyond the central story, finding small references that eventually add up to a more complete whole. Connections are made, and the shock when we (much like our protagonist) finds something new is tangible. Searching is not a film concerned with grand schemes or excessive motivation and finds its brilliance in its commitment to showing this kind of mystery in a way that doesn’t need too much other than some subliminal details and a coherent story. This is a truly captivating film, and I was left constantly shaken at the numerous twists and turns this film takes – it goes to some very unexpected places, and as soon as we think we have solved the mystery, a new layer is revealed. Suspenseful and deceiving without ever being inauthentic, Searching makes the most out of its premise, and takes its ideas in extraordinary new directions, also never losing direction of the emotional core, with Searching being extremely resonant and often incredibly heart-wrenching – much like David, the audience is frantically trying to solve the mystery and put everything together, and the ending is powerful and bittersweet, and utterly perfect for a film as impactful as this.

I was truly blown away by Searching. It is not a bombastic or excessive film, and it doesn’t initially demand your attention – yet throughout the film, we are exposed to a well-composed mystery that is as compelling and captivating as it is eerily sinister and relevant to our modern era. Searching is film noir for the millennial generation, where the biggest mysteries often occur outside of the real world, in the virtual realm which can be simultaneously awe-inspiring and dangerous. It is the provider of information and the harbinger of a great deal of peril and therefore makes Searching one of the year’s most relevant films, one inextricably pertinent to the current era. An astonishing performance from John Cho humanizes the film, which takes a carefully-constructed mystery and translates it into an uncanny and familiar format, with the story working wonderfully in conjunction with its concept. I was not expecting to love Searching as much as I did, and it can be confidently said that this is one of the year’s best films, and proof that there are still original concepts to be explored, and when they are coupled with a strong story, the result can be something as enthralling and emotionally-resonant as Searching.