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The chilling film that reminds you to talk to your children

Leah Goulis |

David Kim thought he knew his daughter Margot. But then college life and social media took over. 

Searching official trailer00:42:56

Searching official trailer

My children are only young - six and four - but I’d like to think I have a pretty close relationship with them and they could talk to me about anything.

I’m not delusional, though. I know that as children get older and external influences (friends, social media, etc.) make their way into our lives, things change.

Searching is a film that puts the spotlight on this exact topic, and it serves as a chilling warning to parents with teenage children who are just starting to stand on their own two feet.

It’s scarily realistic

When the film begins, it is so real that I question if it has actually started or is an ad for some communication service. As it’s shot from the point of view of smartphones and computer screens, it is unbelievably real. We all live in a world of FaceTime and instant messaging, after all.

David Kim is a proud dad. He is all for capturing life’s most precious moments with his daughter, Margo, and wife, Pamela. They’re a close family who enjoy doing everything together. But when Pamela loses her batter with Lymphoma, David’s relationship with his 16-year-old daughter begins to change.


That sinking feeling you get when calls go unanswered. Image: iStock 

During a phone call early on a Thursday evening, David learns that Margot will be coming home late after study group. Not thinking much of it, he heads to bed and expects to see her in the morning.

As he sleeps, Margot makes three phone calls to her dad, which go unanswered and David wakes the following morning to discover the missed calls. He reaches out to his daughter but there is no answer. And this is where the story really begins.

That sinking feeling when you think something is wrong

Any parent trying to reach their teen and have their calls ring through to voicemail will know the sinking feeling you get. Most of the time you get the relieving call back five minutes later, but for David, the feeling is warranted and he is forced to lodge a missing persons file with the police.

Celebrated detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) is assigned to the case and works closely with the distraught father to try and locate his missing daughter.

I'll be completely honest. At first, it’s hard to take Debra seriously in the role – it's too serious for her and I just can’t get Will & Grace out of my head – but the story is so gripping you learn to just move with it and believe her.

The search eventually leads the team to Barbosa Lake, a popular spot Margot visited when feeling down. A spot David never even knew about.

As the investigation takes many twists and turns, David, despite thinking otherwise, realises he actually never really knew his daughter; merely a lonely teen still trying to come to terms with her mother’s tragic passing.


No one wants to imagine arriving at a crime scene looking for a child. Image: Supplied

A film for any parent out there

As a parent to two little ones, the film highlights all of those things I know I will have to face as my children grow up. And while social media, live blogging and friends can influence a youngster’s decisions, no matter how on top of it you are, without talking openly and honestly with your children, you might not learn to know them at all.

While some of the plot is a little distressing to watch as a parent, it’s a real eye opener. 

Searching is in cinemas from September 13, 2018.