Rent Searching (2018)

Excellent - Searching review by MA

Great film, if you’re over 70 and not really into computers then you probably won’t like it, bit if not then you’ll love this film. Don’t miss it!

Unusual - Searching review by MAT

A very different film, made more enjoyable because of the unusual way you are lead through the story.

So if you fancy something less run-of-the-mill but still with good performances and an engaging story this movie is well worth a go.

Rubbish - Searching review by PF

Like watching paint dry but worse! Mind numbing, irritating. Like trying watch disjointed images and fractured story likes between clicks and pop ups.

Stagey - Searching review by IP

Although this film has got fairly glowing reviews from the critics, I found the script rather stagey. By stagey, I mean that the script seemed rather forced. The performances were good, but what they had to deliver was sometimes an exposition. The third act was a bit leaden, even where it was unexpected; and the ending was a little Hollywood, sugar-coated. The technical side of the film was interesting, i.e., that all of the film was presentation from computers or television film. However, as others have commented, the third act, again, veers into 'collecting video from other sources', whereas the first two acts were mostly from the point of view of the computers of the main protagonists. There is tension in the film, but perhaps I simply didn't enjoy the film as much as others seem to have.

Engrossing - Searching review by HM

It is as it says a 'thriller'. Dad tries to find missing daughter by entering her world via her laptop. This strings the scenes of the movie together and sees the plot progress in episodes. Police are on the job and he forms a relationship of trust with head detective (female). Things develop keeping viewer interested and trying to work out the girl's fate. Enjoyable and seductive; you will be drawn into the story as it unfolds one puzzling bit at a time. Recommended.

and Found on a Computer Screen - Searching review by RCO

The most notable thing about the film is the novel way of telling the story through the medium (largely) of computer screen shots. This relies of the father making extensive use of video calls (this was filmed pre-covid and the ubiquitous use of Zoom) - and even the outdoor live action footage is largely shown as captured on phone cameras or by broadcast news reports on a computer screen. It also relies on the daughter having been an extensive user of social media which dad gets access to via her laptop and happening to know a password for one of her email accounts so he can reset passwords on Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr etc.

On the whole the technique works well once it has set our expectations, but I'm not sure it wouldn't start to interfere with the story if it was done again. On the other hand it is often said that the existence of mobile phones have made conventional thriller plots far harder to construct and this is one way around that problem. (The TV series Casa del Papel - Money Heist - also managed it quite well, embedding the use and abuse of technology into the core plotlines)

The plot itself is a fairly straightforward thriller/missing person mystery well executed. The twists are subtly telegraphed beforehand so the viewer can have the satisfaction of thinking "I though something like that was happening" after each is revealed.

On the whole an enjoyable movie. We watched it on a 5ft home projection screen - it might be a bit overwhelming on a large cinema screen - and sitting on a sofa where we normally spend far too much time with a laptop so it seemed quite normal.

As an aside it does remind us at times just how toxic the social media world has become - if you give up using it you will find life far more positive and fulfilling.