Searching

Plot: 16 year old Margot (Michelle La) disappears on the way on a Thursday night after studying with kids from school. Her Dad David (John Cho) isn't too worried at first, but no one can find her. He calls the police and Detective Vick (Debra Messing) volunteers to work on the case.David pokes around her computer looking a Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and a YouTube knockoff. It looks like a murder by a vagrant, but just as they are putting all behind them, one of the YouTube friend's turns out to have a fake photo, and the movie goes down a rabbit hole that leads to a roller coaster ending. Didn't see that coming. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: This film is emotional and gripping even though it is primarily told in video chats, text messages, and cutting & pasting text. The technique is refreshingly different, but it worked great her.

Like a good mystery, you learn more and more, and then everything you thought you knew gets turned upside down. And it has an emotional roller-coaster as well. I really like how I gradually was aware that something was wrong.

The writing and directing is the real star of the movie. That is what makes it different and suspenseful. Director Chaganty says the editing was also critical, the way the test appears and the timing were critical.

Cast: John Cho, Michelle La, Debra Messing

Written and directed by: Aneesh Chaganty, this is his first movie.

Editted by: Nick Johnson, Will Merrick

The Music: A pretty piano heavy soundtrack by Torin Borrowdale

The Visuals: It is mostly computer screens, but there is some interest stuff, for example the screen gets pixelly when they want you to realize you are looking at a computer.  

Rating: 4.0 stars: .

More: There have been computer-only movies before such as the horror movie Unfriended.

Big time spoilers: When it comes down to it, this is a worst-case cyber-bullying story, where a quiet pretty girl is stalked by a nerdy, quiet boy, but when they meet IRL everything goes wrong and there is a fatal accident. Like idiots they cover up the accident, and draw in an ex-con to confess, but he might talk, so now it's a murder.

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This is the official poster with all the floating windows.
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