The conceit ofSearching—a film told entirely from a computer screen—may seem high-concept, but the actual story within is a fairly old-fashioned whodunnit. It’s this intermingling of a traditional narrative within a tech-heavy framework that letsSearchingfeel familiar, yet never derivative. In the film,John Chostars as David Kim, a widowed father with a close bond with his only daughter, Margot (Michelle La). One night, David misses a call, and the next morning—his daughter’s gone, missing without a trace. Did Margot run away? Was she abducted… or worse? FilmmakerAneesh Chaganty(in his debut feature) deftly weaves each twist and reveal to the point you almost forget the entire film unfolds out on a screen. It’s a remarkably assured first feature and marks Chaganty as a burgeoning filmmaker to watch.
In the following interview with the director, Chaganty discusses blending technology with a traditional mystery narrative, the duality of who you are on screen versus reality, and his thoughts on the future of tech. For the full interview, watch above.
Interview Index:
Here is the official synopsis forSearching:
After David Kim (John Cho)’s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter’s laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter’s digital footprints before she disappears forever.
