Searching

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Searching

PG-13

Released Aug 31, 2018

1h 42m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

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260 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

David Kim becomes desperate when his 16-year-old daughter Margot disappears and an immediate police investigation leads nowhere. He soon decides to search the one place that no one else has -- Margot's laptop. Hoping to trace her digital footprints, David contacts her friends and looks at photos and videos for any possible clues to her whereabouts.

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Critics Consensus

Searching's timely premise and original execution are further bolstered by well-rounded characters brought to life by a talented cast.

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

A mystery that’s far meatier than its virtual framing would suggest.

Sep 14, 2022

Full Review

Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

Shot mostly with iPhones and GoPro cameras, the movie is visually drab and a little too gimmicky - ultimately it's a stunt, albeit an engrossing one.

Mar 20, 2020

Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

Searching follows Eighth Grade as another thought-provoking film about the intersection between teens' lives and their presence-and reliance-on social media.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 21, 2018

Full Review

Ankit Ojha

Cinema Elite

Going against the Heightened Realism 101 rulebook in films of this kind, Chaganty underlines his storytelling with a terrific score and appropriate rhythm-heavy editing.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 9, 2024

Full Review

Kate Boyle

InSession Film

The writing is amazing, the use of technology is great, and it doesn't feel cheesy as it has in past films.

Jul 8, 2024

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

A tremendously unique style of filmmaking elevates an almost seamlessly written mystery, containing constant twists and puzzling clues that leave the audience captivated throughout the entire runtime.

Rated: A

Jul 24, 2023

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Audience Member

This movie is really good, I totally recommend it. The ending is kind of rushed though; that's why I gave it 4 and a half stars. Otherwise, this film is excellent.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/24

Full Review

Kane P

Great movie from beginning to end. We (me, my wife, and my 80-year-old mom) were looking for a Mystery/Thriller and this fit the bill. A solid movie that will entertain and have you guessing. We were talking about the movie well after it ended.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/04/24

Full Review

Jay W

"Searching" is a tightly written, smoothly edited mystery thriller with a unique style that works well for them. The film is a found footage format, but "Searching" goes one step beyond. Where a film like "Blair Witch" or "Cloverfield" might be a series of videos taken from a camcorder, the footage from "Searching" is taken from a computer screen. All the footage of the movie is comprised of video captures from the desktop screen of our main character, David Kim. The film makers have fun with showing the passage of time through older internet interfaces. With any film making gimmick, the question becomes, does this format help or hurt the flow of the story? And I can say with confidence that this time around it helps the story. The desktop point of view helps the audience both get in the head of our hero, but also to help them play along at home. The hero only has the same resources that any of us have. This makes him relatable, and the search more fascinating. On the negative side, outside of this hook, there isn't much else to the movie. Perhaps I simply watch too many other crime dramas, but this just brought very little new to the table for the mystery. It is an old story but told in a creative way. If you like crime thrillers, suspense or mystery, then this is a fine film for you. If you are an inspiring editor, you may want to watch this film for a showcase of tight visual story telling. If any of those apply to you, then this is the film you're searching for.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/30/24

Full Review

Aidan B

A unique, gripping, and heart-string tugging thriller that stands among the best.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I don’t normally write reviews but wow, what a load of kack. Poor acting, poorer storyline, please don’t waste your time.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/05/24

Full Review

Casey A

Debra messing ruins anything she's on!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/22/24

Full Review

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Aneesh Chaganty

Director

John Cho

David Kim

Debra Messing

Detective Vick

Joseph Lee

Peter

Michelle La

Margot

Sara Sohn

Pamela Nam Kim

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Searching: Official Clip - What Did You Do to My Daughter?

3:57

Searching: Official Clip - Crazy Dad Theater Attack

3:31

Searching: Official Clip - Mommy's Gonna Make It Better

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Searching: Official Clip - Detective Rosemary Vick

2:28

Searching: Official Clip - Stock Photo Killer

2:55

Searching: Official Clip - Finding the Killer

4:16

Searching: Official Clip - fish_n_chips

3:46

Searching: Official Clip - You Told Me She Ran Away

2:27

Searching: Official Clip - You Don't Always Know Your Kid

2:06

Searching: Official Clip - When We Were a Family

1:43

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Synopsis

David Kim becomes desperate when his 16-year-old daughter Margot disappears and an immediate police investigation leads nowhere. He soon decides to search the one place that no one else has -- Margot's laptop. Hoping to trace her digital footprints, David contacts her friends and looks at photos and videos for any possible clues to her whereabouts.

Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Producer: Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian, Adam Sidman, Natalie Qasabian
Screenwriter: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian
Distributor: Stage 6, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Screen Gems
Production Co: Bazelevs Production, Stage 6 Films, Screen Gems
Rating: PG-13 (Some Drug References|Language|Some Sexual References|Thematic Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 31, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 13, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.0M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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