Searching: Mystery on a Mac

Listen, I can't emphasize this enough. Stop reading this review and go watch Searching. It is such a phenomenal movie and you shouldn't be spoiled about any piece of it before you see it.

OK, still reading? Fine, I suppose you might need more convincing. The debut feature of director Aneesh Chaganty, this movie takes place almost entirely on a computer screen, and you watch the actors click on links, search through their emails, and FaceTime each other to discuss clues. John Cho stars as David Kim, a man who lost his beloved wife to lymphoma a few years ago but is striving to keep his teenage daughter, Margot (Michelle La), happy and thriving. When Margot goes missing, he starts investigating, trying to dig up clues from her digital footprint, desperately seeking any information that could help the police locate her. The detective on the case, Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing in a very out of character but fabulous role), is hell-bent on finding Margot, and together, the two of them scroll through the wilderness of the Internet, eager to find anything that could help solve this case.

There was an episode of Modern Family a few years ago that had a similar premise, i.e. all the action taking place on phones or computer screens. But to construct a feature-length film in the same fashion that fully captures the thrills and drama of the search and has multiple twists and turns and a truly beguiling mystery? That is a work of art that transcends all gimmicks. Seriously, do not be fooled into thinking this movie is all artifice and no substance. At its core, it has a solid story, and will have you on the edge of your seat with a whodunit conclusion that you won't see coming.

As a fan of mysteries and detective stories, this film was sheer perfection. I also got a giggle out of the gradual transition from Windows XP to an iMac, a nod to the rise of Apple over the years. The technological sleuthing is so well done - there's a whole sequence where David is trying to get access to Margot's e-mails, and watching him go through multiple layers of security verification is oddly satisfying and lends realism to this otherwise wild premise. Obviously, all of the texts being sent throughout this movie are sent way too fast--no one can type that quickly without any typos--but I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for such moments because story will always take precedence.

Searching heralds a new genre of filmmaking, and while I think there may be many copycats in the future, I will be interested to see if any of them can beat the mastery of the original. It it such an elegant and suspenseful movie, and I dearly hope co-writers Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty get some screenwriting nods during awards season, because it richly deserves all the recognition it can get.