From the Sundance film festival to the big screen, Searching is the psychological thriller the box office needed this year. This mystery dives into fresh, new directions while staying culturally relevant and emotionally fulfilling. With a 93% review from Rotten Tomatoes, Searching shows a movie being told only through laptop and cellphone screens can certainly entertain.

In Searching, David Kim is a widower, raising his daughter Margot. He enjoys watching his daughter grow up, posting videos and pictures onto social media, but as she grows into a teenager, they become distant. Suddenly one day Margot does not return from a study group session and David fails to realize until the next morning. David and Margot mostly communicate through iMessage and Facetime calls. The whole movie is told through David’s Apple devices and Margot’s laptop. David, in a full blown panic, contacts the police.The case has a bunch of twists and turns that keeps the audience on its toes. David deep-dives into Margot’s laptop, trying to uncover some clues about her disappearance, and he learns that his daughter is struggling to cope with her mother’s death. He also learns a lot about her social life and the secrets she keeps from him.

Searching shows how disconnected humans really are from one another. All these different devices and websites aren’t really achieving their goal to keep all of us “connected.” Technology is supposed to bring people together, but it can create such a divide. The story also shows how not all people are actually living their best lives, like their social media portrays.  

The director, Aneesh Chaganty, made the first Google glass ad. His 2014 short film for the Google product went viral on Youtube, and now after four years he comes back with his directorial debut that wins the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance festival, which in my opinion it definitely deserved. If you’re into suspense thrillers like me, with intense twists and turns and a captivating and gripping storyline, then you’ll appreciate this film.