Searching - Review

It is every parent's worst nightmare. To have your child go missing. For some parents, their second worst nightmare would be knowing that they only way to help find them would be to attempt to use their computer and social media. What other secrets would they discover? If they can get past the password and access the account in the first place that is.
That is the nightmare that David Kim (John Cho) must face when his daughter Margot doesn't come home one night after study group.
So far, so standard Hollywood thriller. However writer/director Aneesh Chaganty makes the decision to tell the story entirely through a computer screen.
The horror film Unfriended did something similar by having all the action take place via Skype but Chaganty uses a blank computer screen to advance the plot. Multiple windows and apps pop up left, right and centre, sometimes to dizzying effect but in keeping with the ultra-fast paced nature of the world that we interact with every day.
The family dynamic, and storytelling method, is subtly but effectively set up through a montage sequence of David setting up young daughter Margot with a computer account as they update it with pictures and videos from school. As the years advance, it switches between the family's user profiles as the mother Pam deals with a cancer diagnosis through calendar updates, motivational posts and capturing of memories before her return from the hospital is sadly moved to the trash bin.
Early conversations from a distracted by concerned father with his distant daughter hint that all is not well between them but David is dedicated in his search for her, leaving no stone or social media app unturned. Facebook, Twitter, Facetime, Tumblr, Instagram, YouCast, etc are all used to build up a picture of Margot for the audience and also her father who finally gets to know his daughter for the first time in years.
John Cho is excellent as the frantic father, effectively delivering his heightened level of emotion through a tiny iPhone Facetime screen.
What he does is provide an effective step-by-step guide to parents on how to hack into their childrens' computers and social media accounts if they wanted to spy on them.
The information comes thick and fast and tech-savvy millennials will likely be two-three steps ahead as they quickly use their knowledge of the online world to piece together the clues.
Others not so au fait with the technology may find themselves baffled or even utterly lost as to what is going on.
Although the film has found a new way of delivering a tried-and-tested story, unfortunately the film comes hot off the heels of a TV mini series on Netflix that features a very similar plot with an identical ending that results in a case of diminishing returns for Chaganty's feature.
An interesting look at how reliant we are on the technology that has permeated every aspect of our lives but if you are Searching for the best films of 2018 at the end of the year, this is unlikely to feature in the google search results.

3 stars

Beast - review

Beast is an unusual, well, beast. The story of woman who becomes increasingly suspicious that the man she is involved with is responsible for a series of murders on the island of Jersey could be the plot of a regional crime drama like Midsomer Murders. Yet here, writer-director Michael Pearce presents it here as a dark adult fairy tale, like a modern take on the Brothers Grimm.
Jessie Buckley (Taboo) is Moll, a young woman who is forced to stay at home to look after her ailing father by her wicked, domineering mother (Geraldine James).
After escaping her birthday party, she meets the mysterious woodsman Pascale (Johnny Flynn) and begins a torrid love affair that will have serious repurcussions for the both of them.
For there is a killer on the remote island, stalking young women. Is Pascale Moll's prince/knight in shining armour or is he the big, bad wolf?
Pearce tells the whole story from Moll's point of view, keeping the audience with her as she is faced with a choice whether or not to trust the man she loves. But is she trustworthy herself? For Moll may have her own secrets buried deep.
Buckley is superb as a woman who was kept under the thumb of a controlling woman, finally breaking free and embracing womanhood and her burgeoning sexuality (as all good fairy tales are about).
Johnny Flynn is perfectly ambiguous as the stranger Pascale. Walking that tightrope between charming and dangerous with effortless ease.
The film is shot with a ethereal beauty, particularly the nighttime scenes which turn a seemingly tranquil, safe island into a world filled with mystery, intrigue and horror.
It takes some dramatic leaps in the third act that may be too out of left field for some audiences but this is a film that from the outset never guarantees this will be a case of "happily ever after".
This is one Beast burdened with glorious purpose.

4 stars

Want to know more about this Fantastic Beast and Where To Find It? Then click here - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/showtimes/?movies=%5B771484193%5D