"Searching" Review | A Phenomenal Thriller Enhanced by Its Style
The style of screens-only cinematography has been done before with only lackluster to downright bad results to account for it. Clunkers like Unfriended have discouraged many from believing that using a screens-only approach to tell a story is a viable way to create in enticing, suspenseful film.
To challenge the non-believers of this approach comes Searching, directed by Aneesh Chaganty and starring John Cho. Unlike the contemporaries of its cinematographic style, Searching manages to create one of the most riveting, engaging, and enjoyable cinematic experiences I've had all year. Not only is Searching an amazing suspense film in its own right, but it also legitimizes the screen-only approach as a valid way to tell a story when executed as well as with this movie. Without a doubt, Searching is a movie to keep an eye on when we look back at this year's best suspense films.
One of the few movies to attempt a screens-only approach to its cinematography, Searching immediately becomes the most thrilling movie of the year.
Searching follows the story of David Kim and his daughter Margot, who survive the recent passing of Pamela, David's wife and Margot's mother. Years after her death, David manages to have a somewhat surface-level relationship with his daughter, as he struggles to express his pride of her accomplishments. One night, Margot, when at a study session, calls David in the middle of the night and doesn't respond the next day when David calls back. After not hearing back from her, an investigation unfolds to discover what happened to Margot. During this investigation, David uses Margot's laptop, social media, emails, and more to uncover the secrets that his daughter kept closely under wraps. What follows is an incredibly paced, suspenseful story that takes tons of twists and turns, keeping audiences on their toes steadily throughout the film's 100-minute run time.
Since it's so integral to the film, let's talk about it right away - the screens-only style of this film is executed absolutely brilliantly. This technique allows for a lot of old ideas to be presented in new and believable ways in a contemporary context. For example, instead of having flashback sequences where we learn more about a character, we instead look at videos saved on an old computer. Instead of learning about who Margot is through dialogue, we find out who she is through what kinds of things she posts on social media, and what kinds of websites are on her browser history. These are just some of the ways in which Searching recontextualizes how we learn about characters in a film, while still managing to do so in a believable, natural, and effective way.
Moreover, this technique genuinely feels like it enhances the film. So much of our lives are significantly impacted by technology - and the ways in which David Kim uses technology to learn more about his daughter and pursue his investigation of what happened to her depict how most of its audience would also use technology. This film, in a way that perhaps no other film has done to the same extent, captures society's dependence on technology through how much (or how little) its characters choose to express themselves on the stages of social media.
The few films that have tried a screens-only approach in the past have ultimately failed at living up to the potential of the approach because these films use the approach as a crutch - something to merely make the film stand out. In contrast, Searching takes full advantage of its approach without it ever feeling like a compromise. Going into the film, due to a screens-only approach, I was worried that Searching would have to cut back on character interactions, or exposition, or...something that would have to be limited due to the nature of the film's direction. Thankfully, that managed to not be the case. Searching feels like a full, complete film that doesn't rely on its style to stand out from other suspense films. Rather, Searching's direction works brilliantly as a complement to its themes on the benefits and detriments of society's dependence on technology.
Another concern I had going into Searching is one that's a bit of a more universal concern I have when going to see suspense films - a concern that involves details. In my opinion, nothing deflates a suspense film's quality more than an abundance of unnecessary details that don't progress the story. Details that are either filler or only exist to deter the plot and characters manage to plague a lot of suspense films and video games for me. Thankfully, this is another concern that Searching manages to avoid. In fact, if there's anything more immediately recognizable about Searching than its cinematography, it's the film's level of detail.
Every single detail on this movie matters. Early on, you may notice that a character will type a message, then delete it before they send it, or see a character have drugs in the background, or see a person use a certain kind of profile image on a website - all of these details serve a purpose in some capacity. This is an aspect of incredibly tight writing. This even enhances the replay value for this movie as well - more so than other suspense films -, since there are simply so many details on screen at once, due to the film's nature.
Of course, this does come with a small cost. Being that there is often a lot on screen at once and that there are so many details to absorb, Searching finds itself holding the audience's hands at points, which is disappointing. There's a moment in the film where there's a breakthrough in the investigation that connects to an older man playing a role - a man that was also present in an image that we see much earlier in the film. Instead of trusting the audience to connect the dots themselves, Searching basically brings up a side-by-side comparison of two images of the same character to ensure that the audience makes the same connection that the David Kim makes. This isn't an uncommon trope of suspense films, but it's nevertheless disappointing to see Searching go out of its way to help the audience connect the dots that the film's plot necessitates - more so because helping the audience make these connections doesn't feel necessary. This is easily the biggest blemish on the film.
Outside of that, however, there's a lot of things to admire about this film. And maybe one of the most admirable aspects of Searching is John Chu's phenomenal performance of David Kim. In the older videos, we see kind of a dweeby dad that genuinely cares for his family. He even connects with his daughter over watching The Voice with her, which is peak American mundanity. However, during the investigation to find Margot, we see a man that is pushed to his limits. We see a man that is possibly going to lose the only member left in his immediate family, and the difficult emotions that come alongside that. All of this is expertly portrayed by John Chu, who honestly steals the entire show. His character feels smart, believable, and I found myself admiring and connecting with him and what he goes through during the film.
With consistent tension throughout that will leave audience members guessing until the end while nailing the execution of presenting a suspenseful story in an inventive way, Searching is truly one of the best films of the year thus far. Its smart, detail-filled plot alongside its incredibly tight writing made for a film that I found myself continuing to think about long after I saw it - a quality that only great pieces of media are able to attain. Whether you're a fan of suspense films or are on the fence of whether or not screens-only cinematography has a future, Searching is an impressive, exciting film - one that I think we'll continue to talk and think about for a long time.
Final Grade: A
What did you think of Searching? Do you think the screens-only approach has a future in cinema? As always, join the conversation and let me know!
