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		  Searching (8/10) 
		by Tony Medley 
		Runtime 105 minutes. 
		PG-13 
		This is a brilliantly devised 
		thriller that is told in such a captivating way that it is almost 
		impossible not to enjoy. Written (with Sev Ohanian) and directed by 
		Aneesh Chaganty, the unique and clever cinematography opens with a 
		computer screen and somebody typing into it. Get used to that because 
		half of the movie is shown that way, with people texting and speaking 
		with one another on their computers. 
		Margot (Michelle La), the 
		daughter of David Kim (John Cho), goes missing and he has no way to 
		track her down except through her computer life. Debra Messing is the 
		police officer in charge of searching for her and she seems really 
		committed to helping David find his daughter. 
		Producer Timur Bekmambetov 
		grasped on this story with his concept that he calls “screen-life” and 
		feels it is a new film language. He discovered it in 2012 when he was 
		having a Skype communication with a partner. The partner failed to turn 
		off the screen-sharing function, so Bekmambetov observed as his friend 
		made internet searches, communicated with friends on social media, place 
		internet orders, and do the other things that people do on their 
		computers. He felt that this gave him a completely new view of his 
		friend’s “inner life,” and what made him tick, as he watched him move 
		the cursor, open and close windows, and the choices he made.  He felt 
		that he could deduce his friend’s emotions as he watched him navigate on 
		his computer. The result is this captivating film, which exposes 
		people’s “screen life.” 
		So it is with this film. With 
		access to her computer, David learns more about his daughter than he 
		ever knew, accessing social media, texts, emails, her whole life shown 
		in photos and video snippets, saved on her computer. What this unique 
		film does is tell a story by showing the modern way people interact in 
		this electronic world.  
		For most people, I guess, the 
		things David goes through on her computer are normal things young people 
		do every day, but for some of it, it’s state of the art, so that part 
		was truly enlightening. 
		
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