Aneesh Chaganti and Sev Ohanian's 'Searching'

When David (John Cho), grieving the loss of his wife, realizes his daughter is missing, he must piece together her whereabouts using information gathered on social media and elsewhere in her digital footprint. As each clue brings him closer to the truth, David begins to question those dearest to him.

A new point of view

The story is fairly simple, but its remarkably original narrative technique sets it apart. Filmmakers Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian create an entire feature-length movie through the confines of a picture-in-picture computer desktop screen. The film mainly uses the Facetime app on a computer’s desktop, giving a mirror-image reflection of David and other characters. All communicate through the digital interface.

While the premise may sound tedious, the dialogue and plot abound with riveting twists. After about 10 minutes it is easy to forget you are watching something on a computer screen.

Although others have attempted to use this narrative device (the 2015 rape-revenge horror Unfriended or the “Connection Lost” episode of ABC’s Modern Family) none have succeeded in creating a fully functioning world within the screen. In the previous cases, directors relied too heavily on front-facing webcam interactions, which after a few minutes felt more like a group video chat than a cinematic experience.

By contrast, Searching transcends this barrier as the story progresses by introducing other video platforms, such as recorded LiveCast videos or television-news clips shown in the browser. To capture one of the more difficult action sequences, the filmmakers implement a closed-circuit hidden-camera system monitored through the desktop interface. Somehow, it still makes sense in the context of the story.

Even in this complex scene, the character movements appear natural, with believable, realistic camera placement. In addition to shot footage, much of the story plays out on the computer screen itself, as David frantically searches his daughter’s hard drive and social-media platforms for clues about her disappearance.

Digital natives plus

Much of the film’s success rides on Cho (Star Trek, Harold & Kumar). He delivers a compelling performance that transcends the barriers of conventional cinematic storytelling.

He's joined by Debra Messing (Will & Grace) in a strong supporting role as the detective assigned to his daughter’s missing person case, and the veteran actors convey strong chemistry, despite only being shown together twice.

Millennials and anyone raised as a digital native will likely find the director’s approach relatable. Although I found it hard to understand until I saw the film for myself, it strikes me as I type this review onto my computer screen that many of us spend our working hours staring into a screen. By using our familiarity with this vantage point, we can imagine ourselves thrust into a similar worst-case situation, using online tools to solve a mystery.

Perhaps the film’s greatest achievement is that despite the use of blurry, out-of-frame, and in many cases poor-resolution footage, these filmmakers produced a compelling narrative through the familiar daily digital interactions we take for granted.

Searching was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures, but will likely present a challenge in attracting audiences with this novel concept. However, if viewers are willing to give its unconventional approach a chance, this film could significantly impact the future of narrative cinema.