Didn't know this thread existed. I feel like I should only pop in to chime in on movies that I doubt anyone has yet to see.
A couple of weeks ago I saw the film
Searching. It will release in theaters on August 3rd.
John Cho brilliantly portrays a broken father acting desperately to find his missing daughter through use of phone and computer, with law enforcement's aid at his disposal. Missing person films can have stories that range from straightforward to conspiracy-laden, from kidnappings to runaways, from found alive to found deceased to never found at all... and director/co-writer Aneesh Chaganty gives you reason to believe that any of these possibilities could be true, all whilst keeping extremely grounded.
This screencasting form of the found footage genre becomes a beautiful storytelling device that captures today's use of technology, the internet, and social media in a thematic manner. Given this innovative format, it stylistically contains one of the best movie openings I have seen in a long time, and very early on taps into every emotion you will feel in this drama/mystery (that contains naturally suspenseful and thrilling elements throughout its narrative).
It is a smartly crafted and woven film that permits your eyes to wander the screen as you create an inaudible dialogue between Cho's character and the computer/phone screen that he engages with. Work hard enough and you can also seek clues to the film's final outcome, which are apparent with enough detective analysis as you are exposed to items for the first time concurrently with him. You will find yourself comfortably navigating files, e-mails and websites with our protagonist as this is already an everyday occurrence of ours, and this kind of relatability goes a long way toward appreciating what the statistical minority will otherwise call a cheap gimmick.
This is a groundbreaking achievement in filmmaking by Chaganty that should be acknowledged for doing it well and the right way. Given the high I am
still on upon leaving the theater that day, it temporarily stands as my favorite movie I have seen this year so far.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My full review is on IMDb. It is spoiler-free.
https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4218391/?ref_=tt_urv