A story told entirely through a character's laptop screen - it's an increasingly popular gimmick that's now been done enough times that it can no longer be called fresh. But, thankfully, this is best execution of the style to date. Aneesh Chaganty dazzles in his directorial debut, displaying a mastery of the medium, crafting a compelling film narrative told entirely through someone's laptop activity.

The movie comes out hot with a mostly nonverbal tale of love and family that's shades of 'Up' and nearly as affecting. An emotionally warping scene like that to kick things off lets us know immediately that we're in good hands. The music choices give a strong signal of this as well. I firmly believe that music choices in the opening minutes of movies are as reliable an indicator of the movie's quality as you'll find.

This moving love story tells that us the family is close, or, at least they were before mom died. Now dad David (John Cho) is raising his daughter Margot (Michelle La) as well he can, but they seem a bit distant. When Margot mysteriously goes missing, he finds out just how little he knows about his daughter.

He and police detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) scramble to find out what happened to Margot - was she kidnapped, catfished, or did she runaway? The work they put in to unravel this mystery is frantic and exhausting. They track Margot's car on traffic cams, they contact all of her Facebook friends, and they dig for anything of use they can find on her laptop. The level of detail displayed in the investigation is so thorough that it's as much an education in snooping as it is entertainment (not that parents should follow these steps to snoop on their own kids!)

It's a constant thrill ride throughout, even as conventional storytelling techniques seep through the cracks at the end when the laptop screen gimmick proves too challenging. One answered question leads to five more unanswered, and a few false endings and twists will leave you breathless. In movies, there are twists and then there are TWISTS. "Searching" has TWISTS. Enjoy.

"Searching" is one of the best films I've seen in a long time...and I'd place it among the best movies of 2018. This being said, it's got a minor problem that kept it from earning a 10...it left some deliberate Easter eggs which betray a few of the movie's twists. I noticed one...my daughter noticed another. But although we DID anticipate some of the film, overall it still delivered many unexpected suprises AND is incredibly entertaining and unique.

John Cho is the star of the story. In a heartbreaking montage, you see him and his wife experiencing great moments in their young lives...including welcoming a daughter. However, she develops cancer and dies...leaving the husband to raise their daughter alone. Now, the film jumps ahead...the daughter is now a teen and seems very normal and talented. But all is NOT well....as, out of the blue, the daughter vanishes...leaving the father frantic. The story is about his search for her which includes his searching her computer trail. I could say more...but don't want to ruin the twists.

The amazing thing about this story is that all of it is told as if you are seeing everything on the internet--such as Facebook and other social media posts as well as videos. This is super-clever and original...and the twists and turns only make it more clever and engaging. But, as I mentioned above, the filmmakers occasionally include Easter eggs...which, if solved, might help the viewer anticipate a few of the twists. Still, you WON'T anticipate them all and the film is brilliant and incredibly well made.

SEARCHING is an Internet-based thriller with a novel premise: the whle story is told via a computer screen and all of the myriad programs, apps, emails, social media accounts and videos that goes with it. It's not quite original, having already been used for the horror film UNFRIENDED and its sequel UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB, but unlike those two films, this one is actually pretty good. John Cho is fine as the distraught father, putting his Harold & Kumar days long behind him, and the film has a really good pace to keep you watching constantly. There's plenty to say about familial relationships, grief and the facelessness of a modern, Internet-based society, and if it does get increasingly convoluted and mildly ridiculous come the final twist at the climax, it's still a good 'un.