102 Min
Cast John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La
Director Jon M. Chu
When recently widowed father David Kim (Cho) realises his daughter Margot (La) has gone missing he has to delve into her online world to try and piece together what could have happened. The main talking point about this film is that it all takes place on a computer screen with David using Facetime, messenger, YouTube, Facebook and numerous other tools to search for the daughter that he thought he knew.
The opening scene of the film is like a millennials version of Up!, telling the history of this family through video clips, photos and e-mails, and it pulls at the heartstrings just as much as the famous Pixar opening. Cho is excellent as the buttoned-up family man struggling to contain the desperation and frustration bubbling under the surface as he tries to help the police investigation being led by Detective Vick (Messing). The concept of the computer screen works well, I found my eyes darting around the screen trying to find clues in background windows, but there are a couple of times where you wonder "whose screen exactly is this" such as when several main characters appear on the news for an appeal.
While the film has a strong message to convey about the secret identities and false pretences people use online that will terrify parents, it is first and foremost a strong thriller with a standout lead performance. The last 15-20 minutes of the film waned a little for me but this film certainly deserves to be recognised as more than just a gimmick.
★★★★☆
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