[Review] Searching: The Truth Will Out
Searching won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival in the US, drawing widespread praise from audiences and critics alike. So, is this film truly that impressive?
Anyone who's seen the trailer or read the synopsis for Searching knows that the entire film unfolds through the lens of electronic screens. The movie opens with a familiar sight: the classic Windows XP green prairie desktop background. More than nostalgia, what I felt was a sense of coldness. The majority of the film's visuals consist of computer screens, with real-world scenes primarily shown through FaceTime and Skype interfaces. In typical movies, we might occasionally see characters using computers to search for files or information, or to communicate with others, but these electronic screen views usually occupy very little space. Searching is the complete opposite; "real" footage takes up very little screen time. The film begins by using old photos and videos to establish the backstory of father David (John Cho) and daughter Margot (Michelle La), then moves into the unfolding plot through their conversations. Subsequently, Margot suddenly disappears, leading David to discover that he barely knew his daughter at all.
Many viewers likely wonder when watching Searching: Is narrating an entire film through electronic screens, rather than traditional methods, a mere gimmick or truly necessary? In the film, David primarily relies on computer messaging software to communicate with his daughter, seemingly maintaining a close connection. In reality, however, he knows nothing about her. The internet and communication software appear to shorten the distance between people, yet David not only fails to understand his daughter's true self but also hesitates to express his own genuine thoughts. The emojis he uses are just cold symbols, unable to convey his true emotions. Even as he stays in touch with relatives and friends, he never truly understands their real selves. Does the internet truly bring people closer, or does it push them further apart? As the film progresses, the plot takes several brilliant turns, and like the protagonist, audiences may struggle to discern what is "real."
Searching cleverly leverages various modern media for its narrative, and the production team's creativity is truly commendable. In the film, David uses web pages and chat logs on his computer to search for clues about his daughter's disappearance, a common trope in thrillers. However, the film's visuals aren't confined to a computer screen. The writers demonstrate remarkable creativity by having David leave his home, using hidden cameras, news footage, and mobile phone recordings to advance the plot, all while maintaining high tension. Furthermore, due to the limitations of the media used in the film, camera movement is restricted, primarily relying on fixed shots. Nevertheless, the production team creatively incorporates handheld camera movements in some scenes to create a sense of unease. The film's climax uses news footage for its narrative, enhanced by a soundtrack that proves more moving than expected. Before Searching, several other films were released that relied entirely on electronic screen narration, primarily in the horror genre, but none seem to have exploited the potential of different media as thoroughly as this film.
Searching certainly offers audiences a fresh viewing experience, proving that this method of visual storytelling can produce a compelling work. However, I'm curious whether this filmmaking style can be applied successfully to other genres beyond thrillers and horror. That remains to be seen as filmmakers continue to experiment, but Searching certainly stands as a successful experiment.