“Searching” is director Aneesh Chaganty’s debut feature film (he also co-wrote the script) and he certainly delivered a great thriller for modern day Internet users.

“Searching” follows the story of a relatively new single father David Kim (John Cho) and his 16-year-old daughter Margot (Michelle La). After Margot goes missing, her desperate father searches the web and her daughter’s social media to find her.

The most interesting aspect of this movie is the aspect that the entirety of it is on either a computer or smart phone screen. It is really interesting how Chaganty made some scenes so suspenseful, with just a webpage on the screen and the ominous clicks from Kim’s keyboard.

The film has a constant mystery that consistently develops through out the plot. Seeing such a distressed father investigate his daughter’s entire life on the web is truly heartbreaking. Soon it is reveled that the father did not know his daughter as well as he previously thought.

With the films Internet premise, it is clear that the director is displaying the modern day reliance on the Internet for our day-to-day lives. A person’s social media accounts and their contents on their own computers/smart phones effectively portray who a person is, or a person they are trying to be.

The film also portrays the very real Internet reaction to worldwide news. In the film, Kim goes viral on social media by people who know next to nothing about the current situation. People start labeling him a bad father and etc. mirroring real life missing person’s cases, and the reactions from the public.

John Cho delivered a surprisingly good performance as the father David Kim. Cho is better known for portraying the character Harold in the “Harold and Kumar” series, and a character that popularized the term “MILF” in “American Pie.” He delivered a truly convincing performance as a distressed father trying to find his missing daughter.

One small aspect I liked about the direction of the film is Kim’s overall demeanor through out the course of the film. One pet peeve I have about movies and Television shows is that many characters are shown going through dire situations, and for some reason they still look amazing with make up on and their hair done. Kim is shown physically deteriorating by the end of the movie, you can tell he has not slept in days and the extreme amounts of stress is getting to him.

The movie has a brilliant twist at the end that is hard to spot out, and it will leave the viewer shocked.

“Searching” is a smash hit among critics with a current score of 91% on the Rotten Tomato’s Tomatometer, and I agree with critics and praise this film for its unique viewing experience. “Searching” is currently 5th in the box office at 5.8 million, so it seems to be popular among viewers as well, not just critics.

“Searching” just debuted last weekend so take some time in the next couple of weeks to go and see it. You will certainly enjoy the compelling mystery on the disappearance of Margot Kim.

Jordan Boyer can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].