'Searching' is a Twisted Whodunnit Told Via Internet

John Cho as David Kim in Searching | Columbia Pictures

An investigation is opened after David Kim's (John Cho) 16-year-old daughter suddenly goes missing. After days of this 'gone girl' case, David decides to search her daughter's laptop revealing secrets, not only about her daughter, but about his family as well.

The story unfolds just by watching a series of events in a computer screen giving an immersive effect as if we are searching along with David Kim. It’s like Unfriended minus the supernatural stuff, and more of a twisted whodunnit told via internet.

It explores enticing, some familiar and some new, internet features especially for teenagers nowadays who use these tools to explore their identities and validate themselves in the process. It also shows the good and bad effect of this in family relationships and the society in an innovative cinematic way posing questions like "how much independence to afford your children?" "When should one interfere in one's privacy?" and more.

I love the witty internet references—from Reddit conspiracy theories, to stock photos, to "I dont usually post on Facebook” clichés and other inventive feats.

The film is fast-paced with turns in almost every ten minutes, and the second half provides bold and countless twists without going absurd. The reveal tends to over-explain, though, especially Debra Messing's character who reveals all the twists in the end as the weirdly frantic investigator.

It also carefully tackles coping up with death in the family, thus, it is not devoid of family values. It’s a family drama first before it becomes a mystery thriller. The father-daughter relationship, after all, is the fuel of the movie. Its formula is reminiscent to Up in a sense that the adventure is fueled by family. Not to mention, Searching also starts with a family montage ala Carl and Ellie’s married life, and along with it we saw a clever glimpse of the evolution of the internet.

Searching is an inventive and detail-oriented mystery thriller about the endless possibilities of what the internet can do and how it affects everyone in the society. The possibilities are scary, but the movie itself is pretty fun!