MovieChat Forums > Searching (2018) Discussion > For the most part, exceptional

For the most part, exceptional


A widowed dad searches for his missing 16 yr old daughter. The whole story is played out on computer screen from start to finish (online chat, social media, video/conference calls, news broadcasts, CCTV). Excellent central performance from John Cho, with solid support from Debra Messing as the lead investigator cop. The film opens with the family history (through videos and online photo album) from marriage, through birth of first (and only) child, wife/mother's illness and death, and dad/daughter's subsequent relationship. You feel for the two of them as they struggle to communicate during her teenage years; and you feel his utter heartbreak, incomprehension, and despair when she goes missing. The rollercoaster ride of his initial attempts to trace her, the false starts and dashed hopes, then finally the police investigation, are riveting. Unfortunately, the last quarter of an hour or so pushes the boundaries of credibility a bit too far for a film that up until then is so realistic. Still, 8/10

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Agreed, this was a surprise movie that I had on my watchlist. A very good mystery-thriller.

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I agree and thought it was riveting. John Cho is a fantastic actor and I could actually feel the anguish he was going through, not knowing what happened to his daughter. It held my interest from start to finish, no fast forwarding, which I find myself doing a lot nowadays.

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