Searching is directed by Aneesh Chaganty. When the daughter of David Kim goes missing, he looks out for help from the police but the situation gets even bad as David realizes his daughter could be a completely different person. It’s up to him and a detective to figure out the truth. The movie stars John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La and Joseph Lee.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought it was going to be another stupid cyber-thriller with a lacking script, characters and overall talent. Then the reviewss started pouring in, hailing this movie to be one of the year’s best and I couldn’t help but feel interested in what this movie had to offer. I’m glad to say that Searching was the complete opposite of what I was expecting. It really surprised me, everything was amazing. The script was smart and ironically old-fashioned. The underlying tones of loss and family were perfectly sewn into the movie and the characters are interesting and have layers to them, something so rare in a movie like this.

While the story sounds predictable, you know, girl goes missing, there’s a different side to her that no one knows, the father is worried sick, the usual in these types of movies. What Searching does is take that story, present it in a new and modern way thanks to technology and put underlying tones about loss and family. They add in an incredible twist which works because of the unique and fresh characters. These characters are smart and realistic. It’s like you’re watching a documentary at times and for a movie like this, that’s a huge plus. Although at times, it does feel a bit tedious to spend a lot of time of the movie using the internet as the camera. Sure, it’s unique but too much doesn’t really do this movie any favors.

The acting was a major part of why this movie is as good as it is. John Cho and Debra Messing are fantastic. I was worried I wouldn’t take Messing seriously because of her comedic role on Will and Grace, even more so in the revival. Boy, was I wrong! She is amazing in this role, I loved seeing a different side to her acting abilities. John Cho is great as well and now that I’m thinking about it, I love his role even more. Nowadays you see many movie where something happens to a child and the mother will do everything in her power and either get him/her back or get justice. Just last month, Peppermint came out with the exact premise! Rarely do we get a realistic view of what a parent does when something tragic like this happens, especially from a father’s point of view. So I really enjoyed that aspect of the movie.

Overall, Searching is the summer movie that no one unfortunately saw. It’s a fast paced cyber-thriller with a satisfying pay-off. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it. The performances are great, the premise is upgraded with great characters, an insane twist and unique editing. If you have time, catch it on streaming, it’s worth every minute of your time.

RATING: B