A perfect modern thriller

Searching

*ing: John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La, Sara Sohn, Joseph Lee, Ric Sarabia, Sean O'Bryan

Rated: 6/10

A modern mystery woven around the internet, Searching is an edgy thriller panning out on computer screens, social media platforms and other such rigours of modern lifestyle, in the process pointing out how risky and helpful the digital medium can be, depending on its usage.

Out here, a father loses his daughter to a mysterious abduction, the clues for which he has to find in her digital accounts even as the police does an Indian act of coming in late and not doing its job. It helps that the father is a known face in John Cho who keeps the film going with his sombre presence and, of course, his drive to get into the system, literally so.

But the real hero, villain and all else of this computer-age thriller is the comp itself, that and the internet maze that we have wired ourselves in. The best and most exciting thing about the film is its director, a former Google geek Aneesh Chaganty. The film looks snappy, urgent, purposeful and young much like its 27-year-old director whose knowledge of the digital medium can be seen in the intricate technical details of his inaugural film.

He gives an utterly balanced and realtime dose of the contradictions of internet technology, its good, bad and ugly. That despite so much internet and comp screen dominance of the film, you remain interested throughout Cho’s hunt of his daughter, speaks volumes about why Searching could be a better option that Deols’ annoying outing this week.