When David Kim’s (John Cho) daughter goes missing, he desperately tries to assist the police investigation into finding her.

Searching’s story telling technique is one that might sound great in a film executive boardroom but hardly ever works out in practice. The story is told entirely through the technology people use to record their lives and contact each other. FaceTime, voice calls, video recordings, social media and plain old fashioned television news. At no point in the film does it use standard camera shots. To begin with I wondered if this was going to get tired or feel forced, but at no point did that happen. It uses inventive ways to keep it interesting and most importantly the film makers really understand the technology they are using and at no point do they cheat or make stuff up.

The story works on a number of levels as well. It has an impressive opening montage showing us the father/daughter bond and the loss of a wife and mother. It looks at the secrets a family can keep from each other and the way social media allows us to hide from and manipulate others. It’s also a smart thriller, keeping you guessing and interested in the outcome.

Finally it has two great performances. John Cho as the desperate father and Debra Messing as the detective on the case. One is slowly unraveling whilst the other tries to keep them together.

Overall Searching is a thoroughly impressive thriller that is well worth seeking out when it is released later in August.