Searching.
In the computer age. It’s not for nothing that the criminal justice system is keen on seizing all computers when the crime is serious enough. After all, that is often where all the secrets are to be found.
Only here, it is the father of a missing girl who is able to follow all of the digital crumbs into the digital forest.
So, in part, it’s a “tech film”. Or, as one IMDb reviewer put it…
This film got it right in the technology department. All real websites, technology and actual examples of how you can search the internet to find information. They had to get this right and as an avid tech enthusiastic i was pleased that they did.
And this part will either be over [or way, way over] your head or it won’t. Let’s face it, for a lot of us, these technological marvels may as well still be just science fiction. Or magic.
And it’s a thriller. But it’s also a postmodern thriller immersed in this technological age we have not yet grasped all of the implications of. That the “devices” are there for everyone to use is one thing, how they are used, another thing altogether. To paraphrase Shane, “a computer, the internet and social media are as good or as bad as the person using them”.
Throw in the part about a postmodern morality and things can get really, really dark, really, really fast.
Finally, the part where, in today’s world, what do parents really know about their kids? They go out into the world and make contact with who knows who. Some things they share with you, some things they don’t. And it’s an electronic jungle out there. With the internet the sky is the limit regarding who or what your child might bump into.
As for the ending it is as believable or unbelievable as you need it to be.
IMDb
[b]For the German, Spanish, French, Russian and Portuguese versions of the movie, every TV/phone/computer screen was recreated in its respective language, as well as every typing sequence, keystroke by keystroke.
The film took just 13 days to shoot. However, it took two years to make due to the prep, editing and animating.
Throughout the movie various news articles hint to an alien invasion that happening at the same time.[/b]
trivia at IMDb: imdb.com/title/tt7668870/tr … tt_trv_trv
at wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Searching_(film
trailer: youtu.be/3Ro9ebQxEOY
Searching [2018]
Written in part and directed by Aneesh Chaganty
[b]Margot [from voicemail]: Hey, you’ve reached Margot’s phone. Leave me a message or text me back.
David: Hey, Margot, Dad again. I’m not sure if you’ve been checking your messages, but um, I’m starting to get a little…Why did you leave your laptop at home?
…
David [on phone]: Hi, uh, Mrs. Shahinian? This is David Kim, Margot’s father.
Teacher: Yes, I’m in the middle of a lesson. May I call you back afterwards?
David: Right, no, this is just, take a second…Can you put my daughter on the phone just for a second?
Teacher: I’m sorry, Mr. Kim, I’m confused what you’re calling about.
David: M-My daughter, Margot Kim is in a lesson with you right now?
Teacher: Margot Kim canceled her classes six months ago.[/b]
She didn’t make it to school that day either.
[b]911 operator: 911, what’s your emergency?
David: Hi, I’m calling about a possible… I… I’m calling to report a missing person.
Operator: Okay, who is this regarding?
David: Uh, my daughter. I know I should’ve called sooner. I just thought that…
Operator: That’s okay, sir. The first thing we need to do is file a report. After that, I’ll put out a call to a detective in the area who will be in touch with you.
David: All right.
Operator: Now let’s start with her name.
…
Rosemary: My name is Rosemary Vick. I’m the detective sergeant assigned to your daughter’s case. I’ve been waiting for your call. We’re working as fast as we can. I’m currently 35 minutes away from your house. But while I have you, do you feel comfortable telling me what you know?
David: I just told every detail I know to whoever I got off the phone with an hour ago. I don’t know what you guys are doing.
Rosemary: I promise you, Mr. Kim, we are taking this very seriously. And as a parent myself, I can only imagine what you must be feeling. But for me to help you, I do need to know how everything unfolded from your eyes.
David: Understood, detective.
Rosemary: Okay, let’s see if I got this right. One: after a group study session, Margot, with her car, didn’t return home Thursday evening. Two: she called three times at 11:00 p.m. Three: she didn’t attend school on Friday. And four: she’s been skipping piano classes for the last six months. Was all of that correct?
David: Yes.
Rosemary: Okay. Mr. Kim, I am going to find out what happened to your daughter. But I’ll need to know a lot more about her, okay? We’ll handle the ground investigation, Mr. Kim. That’s our job. But if there’s something a parent can do, it’s shedding light for us on who your daughter is and the people she talks to. Is that something you can help us with?
David: Yes. I can help with that.
…
Rosemary: Hey, update me whenever you learn something. Big or small.
David: Okay. Where are you going?
Rosemary: To find out what the rest of her Thursday looked like.
…
Peter: Are there any Facebook friends you haven’t talked to yet?
David: Yes. 94. And apparently, since nobody was actually her friend, I don’t know who to talk to without calling every name I read online.
Peter: What about offline?
…
David [on skype]: Did she mention anything unusual going on, maybe? Was she acting strange?
Abigail: Uh… You know, she did go on Tumblr a lot.
David: What? What is a tumbler?
…
Rosemary [on skype]: First, she fills up for gas. Then exits off the 101. And then turns onto the 152 east. 10:02 p.m.
David: 152 east? That exits leads outta town.
Rosemary: She took it alone.
David: That doesn’t make sense. This does not sound like my daughter. She’s acting like a totally different person.
…
David [on skype]: She’s been depositing her piano cash into her checking account every week. What the hell was she doing with all that money? Six days ago, she made an outgoing transaction of $2,500 to Venmo.
Peter: The payment service?
David: There it is. $2,500. Six days ago.
Peter: Does it say what it was for?
David: Nothing but a peace sign.
Peter: Who did she send it to?
David: It doesn’t say.
…
Derek [on phone]: Sir, I don’t have to tell you anything.
David: I just want to know where you were the night my daughter went missing.
Derek: Like I said, I had a prior engagement.
David: What are you hiding? What are you hiding?
Derek: Nothing!
David: Then answer the damn question before there’s a cop knocking on your door. Where were you the night my daughter went missing?!
…
Rosemary [on phone]: Does the name Rachel Jeun ring a bell?
David: No. Why?
Rosemary: It’s Margot. You mentioned earlier she was acting like a different person. So I had our forensics team look through any deleted contacts on the copy of her hard drive. One of those contacts was a local forger. He said Margot picked up an ID a few days ago. Around the same time, she withdrew all that money.
David: Withdrew? What? Withdrew what money?
Rosemary: David, I also spoke to security at Venmo. To find out more about the account Margot sent the $2,500 to.
David: Do they know who it belonged to?
Rosemary: It belonged to Margot.
David: She sent the money to herself? What was she doing? Running a- a laundering scheme? Rosemary: That’s what it looks like. I’d see this a lot in narcotics. People who know their money’s being watched just transfer their funds to somewhere much less monitored.
David: Less monitored. Like where?
Rosemary: The Internet.
David: She gets a fake ID, she sends money to herself. What does this mean?
Rosemary: That it’s time to start considering the possibility that Margot ran away.
David: Why would she do that?
Rosemary: That’s what we don’t know.
David: No, no, no, no, no. I know my daughter. She did not run away.
…
Margot [from a YouCast video clip]: My dad doesn’t know I stopped going to piano. He wouldn’t get it.
…
Rosemary [om skype]: I’m sorry, David, YouCast is another dead end.
David: You sure you looked into every one of them?
Rosemary: Every one. None of the YouCast users Margot interacted with have a connection to her disappearance. Even fishnchips. Using the information on her account, we traced her to a Kerchick’s Diner 10 miles outside Pittsburgh. I spoke to her and her manager who confirmed with CCTV that she was on a shift. Checks out.
David: I didn’t know her. I didn’t know my daughter.
…
Rosemary [on skype to David]: Couple of years ago, an angry neighbor starts banging on my door. When I asked her what the trouble was, she said, she wanted the $25 that my son had stolen from her. Now, I didn’t know what she was talkin’ about. I know my son. And that did not sound like the Robert I raised. But as it turned out, it was true. My son had gone house to house in the neighborhood for two weeks telling people that he was my son. And that he was raising money for a fictional police charity called Moms and Dads in Blue. Point is…you don’t always know your kid.
…
Rosemary [from voicemail]: You’ve reached Detective Sergeant Rosemary Vick. Leave a message. I’ll get back to you.
David: Vick! Wake up. I know why she was at that intersection. She wasn’t leaving town, she was driving to the spot she’s been visiting for the past five months. It’s 3:45 a.m. I’m headed there now.
…
David [on skype]: You told me she ran away.
Rosemary: Okay, I’m heading there right now. Okay. I need you to stay calm, all right? We’re gonna figure this out together. What are you showing me?
David: This is her keychain.
Rosemary: Oh, my God. Did you call the cops? I’m heading, I’m-I’m on my way.
David: You told me she ran away, Vick!
…
News anchor on TV: Good morning, Bay Area. I’m Natalie Boyd. A terrifying development today as a vehicle matching that of a missing San Jose teenager was discovered late last night underneath a Santa Cruz lake. An operation is currently underway to recover Margot Kim’s Toyota Camry. But at this moment, we still don’t know whether the Evercreek High sophomore is actually inside the vehicle.
…
Rosemary [to reporters on the scene]: Good morning. Thank you for being here on such short notice. I am Detective Sergeant Rosemary Vick, lead investigator on this case. I am joined by David Kim. Margot’s father. We’ve provided you all with a timeline of events, starting with last Thursday, May 11th, when Margot first went missing. That is yours to circulate. But focusing on the events of this morning, The Silicon Valley Police Department was able to recover Ms. Kim’s vehicle. And to answer the most pressing question, Margot Kim was not inside. However, our examination of the vehicle did reveal a small amount of blood on the passenger side dashboard. Blood that points to a physical altercation. Meaning that this case is now officially being considered an abduction.
…
Reporter: It’s been four days since Margot Kim was last seen. And so far, nothing to show for it except for the torturous mystery at its center. $2,500 in cash was found in a Manila envelope on Margot’s passenger seat. Was it a runaway fund? Like the lead detective is suggesting, or was it something more?[/b]
Cue the social media frenzy.
[b]Rosemary [on Skype]: You can’t assist an investigation anymore.
David: What? What does that…what does that mean?
Rosemary: It means that we can’t have someone this close to the case helping investigate it. It’s my fault for getting you involved in the first place. I did it because we had already lost so much time. Every professional who should be working on this case is working on this case.
David: All I’m trying to do is to help you find my daughter!
Rosemary: I know, but you can’t see things clearly.
David: Who’s the one who brought you to the car? Who’s the one who found the lake and brought you to the car? If it wasn’t for me, not you, you and I would be thinking that my Margot ran away. But because of me…
Rosemary: We don’t know that she didn’t run away. She had cash in her car. But what we do know is that a 17-year-old boy is in the hospital because you broke his jaw! If you have a suspicion about someone, that’s fine. But then, it is the police’s job to look for proof. Not yours to act on flakes of evidence.
…
David: What was your relationship like with Margot?
Peter: What do you mean?
David: You guys hung out, right?
Peter: Sure. You know, it was uh… You know, we didn’t hang out a bunch but You know, it’s just…
David: When’s the last time you saw her, by the way?
…
David [reading Margot’s text to Peter]: “Last night was fun.” “I feel so weird doing this.” “Don’t tell your father.” “He’d kill me.” “Seriously, he’d murder me.” And at seven different times… “See you tonight.” What’d you do to my daughter? What’d you do to my daughter?
Peter: I can explain, all right? But you know what? Let’s calm down.
…
David [grabbing Peter by the throat]: What’d you do to her?! What’d you do to her?! What’d you do to her?! What were you doing with her?!
Peter: Weed!
David: What?
Peter: Weed! I was smoking her out. When you guys all came back from New Year’s. She found my piece. She wanted to try it and…It just kept happening.
David: You gave drugs to my daughter?!
…
Text from Rosemary to David: WE GOT HIM. Call me.
…
Peter: You come in here, and accuse me of something un-fucking-speakable and you’re wondering what kind of family I am?! You wanna know why she hated all those piano lessons? It’s because every time she would walk in, she would see that thing and she would think about her mother.
David: She told you that. She told you that and not me. Why?
Peter: Because you never asked. Ever since Pam, you stopped talking to Margot about the only thing that’s been on her mind the last two years. She needed you to talk to her. Not the other way around.
…
Reporter [on TV]: This is Eyewitness News. With live breaking news. Good morning, I’m Faustine Rhee. A parent’s worst nightmare comes true this morning for David Kim. In a shocking and thoroughly mind-boggling conclusion to a story that’s captivated the Bay Area, Margot Kim, missing now for five days, has just been tragically declared dead. Why? A taped confession. Randy Cartoff, released just six years ago for felony drug possession and sexual assault uploaded the confession online before taking his own life. We’re going to show you a segment of the three-minute video now, but please be warned, the following contains graphic descriptions and disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.
Cartoff [from video]: “Dear girl in the green car, I’m sorry for what I did to you. I’m sorry for not listening to you when you begged me to stop. I’m sorry for beating you. And crushing you. And tossing you with your suitcases so no one would ever find you. I thought this would be easy but it isn’t.”
Rosemary [on TV]: When we arrived at his Morgan Hill residence, Mr. Cartoff was deceased. Seemingly by a self-inflicted gun wound. Sometimes, these confessions are hoaxes but based on his story, we were able to return to the lake site where we discovered trace DNA matching that of Mr. Cartoff in critical areas of the search zone. I’ve already spoken to her father. But at this point in the investigation, we are very confident that Ms. Kim’s life was taken on her way out of town.
…
David [on skype]: Still doesn’t make sense. Where’s the car that he took her in? Where’s the…suitcases? Did-Did he clean up the blood? Vick, who is this guy?
Rosemary: I don’t know. I wish I had an answer. [/b]
Next up: the answer. The very, very strange answer.
[b]David [on phone]: Hi, I’m wondering if I could speak to Hannah?
Hannah: Speaking.
David: Hi, I’m calling in regards to my daughter, Margot Kim. You spoke to her online as ‘mkmania’.
Hannah: Oh, um, you must have the wrong number. I’m talent, not representation. But I can connect you to my agent, if you like.
David: So, you work as a waitress part time then? Because you told the detective you were on a shift when she called.
Hannah: Uh, what detective? I don’t understand.
David: Detective Vick, she called you four days ago, and you told her you were on a shift…
Hannah: Sir, I never got a call from the police. What are you talking about?
David: Maybe I’m not being clear. On YouCast, you’ve been chatting with my daughter for months. Your user name is ‘fishnchips’. Your mother was in the hospital. Right?
Hannah: What’s Youcast?
…
David [on phone]: This is David Kim, I need to speak to Detective Rosemary Vick.
Woman: Oh, Mr. Kim. I am so sorry to hear about Margot. We are all so torn up about it here. Yeah, thank you. Especially Rosemary. I have never seen someone so invested in a case. From the moment she volunteered to lead it, to the way she handled the investigation.
David: Hey, w-w-wait, she did… Did you say volunteered? Y-Y-You said she volunteered. I-I was led to believe that she…she was assigned to the case, right? She was assigned?
Woman: No. She definitely volunteered. Unfortunately though, I, I still can’t patch you through dispatch. She’s probably on her way to Margot’s vigil, though. If you’d like, I can connect you to her work voicemail instead…Mr. Kim? Mr. Kim?
…
Homicide detective: Ms. Vick, as your counsel was informed, by signing this document, you hereby verify the confession you provide today pertaining to the crimes you’re accused of after your arrest one week ago.
…
Detective; Let’s start with Thursday, May 11th, when Margot Kim went missing. What happened that night?
Rosemary: I got a phone call.
Detective: And who was calling?
Rosemary: My son.
Robert [on video]: Mom… I made a big mistake.
…
Detective: What did Robert tell you when you got there?
Rosemary: He said, “There’s a girl down there. I accidentally pushed a girl down there.” I asked him why.
Detective: What did he say?
Rosemary: You need to understand that my son is not like other kids. He’s different. He can be hurt…
Detective: What did he say?[/b]
Then yet another rendition of Catfish.
[b]Detective: So, your son calls you. Asked you to help cover up a murder.
Rosemary: No. No. It was my decision.
…
Detective: So, you helped your son.
Rosemary: I dumped the car in the lake. And took charge of the investigation. I convinced David his daughter ran away. Said forensics had Margot’s hard drive. And told the law enforcement team we’d already cleared the zone I knew her body was in.
Detective: But still, it was only a matter of time before they’d found the spot.
Rosemary: Which is why I needed a confession. It was the only thing that would make it stop. Detective: So you drugged up an ex-con you knew, fed him a script. Was it really a suicide?
Rosemary: He’s my son. Do you know what prison would do to someone like him? He made a mistake. [/b]