Searching

Interesting experiment. Formally, it’s very good, even though the tone is quite ambiguous and the revelation of the mystery perhaps is too wannabe shocking. But as a portrayal of the stupid social networks and their users (yeah, I’m one of them), and the social numbness of today, It’s certainly effective and realistic. (21/11/2018)

The idea may not be so original anymore, but it is still used to the max; the film has real momentum and the viewers feel that they are searching along with the main character. I was expecting an unexpected twist, although I had no idea what it would be, but I'm glad for the ending because I probably wouldn't have wanted to see it end any other way. The only thing that disturbed me a bit was the music: although it was good, it brought down the feeling of authenticity. (21/05/2020)

The surprise of the year and one of the best crime-media-social thrillers ever. The entire film takes place on a PC desktop, and sometimes with the help of a camera or mobile phone, which adds greatly to the authenticity and believability. It tells the story of a little girl who mysteriously disappears and her father tries to find out what happened to her. He learns information that he had absolutely no idea about his daughter and at times the film is really emotionally devastating. Praise must also go to the screenwriter who prepared a nice dose of brutal twists (all unexpected and shocking at the same time). But the biggest applause goes to the final denouement in the style of Saw, which left me almost breathless and I can't remember the last time I saw such an incredibly sophisticated, over-the-top, authentic thriller. Very gppd, incredibly gripping, engaging and uncompromisingly playing with the viewer. John Cho was very good. Bravo! 90% (17/10/2018)

This is an interesting concept that I have not seen before. I get that it is not groundbreaking, but so far I have not had the honor of seeing it, so the idea itself impressed me more than it probably deserves. I was discouraged by the annoyingly melodramatic music, which seemed to come from East Asian films, where sweet sentiment is often mixed with brutal aestheticized violence. However, I was much more bothered by the incompleteness of the screenplay, which relies too much on form and does not address inconsistencies and incredible errors (would the police really work like this?). Even the literalness and typically studio ending didn't excite me. It does not help that the film loses its filmmaker's touch primarily in the second half instead of making the impressive climax helps us forget the weaker moments at the beginning. Despite all the previous complaining, however, Searching earns a decent three stars. Overall impression: 60%. (28/06/2019)

Great, intense, catchy, original. Exactly the type of thriller that you watch and get sucked into the plot by a simple but well-thought-out theme which shows the big potential power of Internet and social media. The father has broken into his daughter’s computer surprisingly easily, but it was acceptable as part of the story. At a time when European cinematography doesn’t finish itsstories and leaves the ending up to the spectator, the literal nature of this story is a nice surprise. The Americans simply like it and I also didn’t mind it. A great work that easily makes waves among mediocre thrillers and adds a lot of originality. (04/04/2019)