‘SEARCHING’

PG-13 1:41

In the classic 1956 Western “The Searchers,” an obsessed loner scours the wilderness in search of his abducted niece. “Searching” has pretty much the same idea, except that the man on the quest is the father rather than the uncle. Oh, and the wilderness is the internet.

Most of this clever but silicon-chip-thin movie transpires on a computer or cellphone screen, although eventually director Aneesh Chaganty is forced to add TV news footage and surveillance video. The setup is essentially the same as in the “Unfriended” horror franchise, which, like this film, was also produced by stylistically innovative Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (“Night Watch”).

David Kim and his daughter Margot live in San Jose, California, where the father (John Cho) is some sort of tech worker. The movie introduces the KoreanAmerican family through its computerized memories, marking 15 years of history with ever-changing operating systems and images of the four different actresses who play Margot as a child. For the Kims, life is all piano lessons, smiley photos and digital-age home movies — until Mom succumbs to cancer.

Left with each other, David and Margot (Michelle La) seem to be coping well. Then one night, the 16-yearold doesn’t come home, and David discovers that her piano teacher and supposed friends don’t really know much about her. He hacks into her laptop and learns that he doesn’t, either.

David calls the police and is soon working with a detective (Debra Messing) who lets him be involved in the investigation. But Dad and cop fall out, and David goes rogue. He pursues some false leads, but it’s clear that this father will ultimately know best.

Like most mysteries, this one relies heavily on coincidental discoveries, even if they arrive via Gmail or FaceTime, rather than more traditional means.

Despite the high-tech trappings, “Searching” ends with a conventional payoff. It’s an outcome that could have been more compelling if the filmmakers had dropped their multi-screen gimmick and depicted the story’s emotional climax without a filter.

Starring: John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La (Contains mature thematic material, some drug and sexual references, strong language and a child in peril)

— Mark Jenkins, Special to the Washington Post