Directed by Aneesh Chaganty, the American thriller film “Searching” is the first mainstream Hollywood thriller with an Asian-American actor lead. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year where it won three awards. It was later released worldwide and is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

According to its Netflix description, “the film is full of suspense” and if you had already watched it, you’d know that is very very true. It’s one of those films that is hard to talk about without giving away the plot twists.

The story revolves around a father David (John Cho) desperately looking for his teenage daughter Margot (Michelle La) who suddenly goes missing. So with the help of the police and Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing), David scours social media to trace Margot’s digital footprints and find her.

And here’s the kicker: the entire film was mainly viewed on computer and phone screens as the characters interact via Skype calls, Facebook DMs, emails etc. The movie itself was shot on mobile devices like an iPhone, GoPros and webcams.

While this technique isn’t new (I’ve seen it on a Modern Family episode), it sure adds to the overall suspense as the mystery gets revealed layer by layer.

With such a successful film made, it’s no wonder that the original production team is now back at work with a new sequel. If you’ve seen Searching, you’d know that the story has already ended.

So rest assured, Chaganty confirms that there will be a new story with new characters and plot.

I for one am really excited to see what other tech-driven thriller they’ll come up with next. Using computer screens to tell a story is a fun movie format and there are plenty of story opportunities. Looking forward to Chaganty and team’s next update!