"Searching" is a 2018 drama, mystery, and thriller film presented through computer screens. The story revolves around David Kim, whose daughter Margot goes missing. As David searches for his daughter, he discovers that he knows very little about her life and her struggles, particularly her grief over her mother's death.
David's investigation leads him to Margot's online activities, including her interactions with a user named "fish n chips." He also discovers that Margot had been lying to him about her piano lessons and had been secretly meeting with her uncle, Peter.
As the investigation unfolds, David's suspicions lead him to accuse his brother of harming Margot, but he eventually discovers that Peter was just trying to help Margot cope with her mother's death.
The truth behind Margot's disappearance is revealed when David discovers that Detective Rosemary Vick, who was handling the case, is actually the mother of the person who had been communicating with Margot online. Vick's son had been catfishing Margot and had accidentally pushed her off a cliff. Vick had been covering up the crime and had even faked a confession from an ex-convict.
In the end, Margot is found alive, and she is reunited with her father. The film ends on a positive note, with Margot coming to terms with her mother's death and reconnecting with her father.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The movie "Searching" is a drama, mystery, and thriller film from 2018.
2. The story revolves around David Kim and his daughter Margot.
3. David creates a new user account for Margot and helps her set up her digital life.
4. Margot's mother, Pam, passes away after a battle with lymphoma.
5. David and Margot take a picture together on her first day of high school.
6. David updates his computer from Windows XP to macOS.
7. Margot has a FaceTime conversation with her father, where he reprimands her for forgetting the trash and asks about her whereabouts and plans.
8. Margot tells her father she will be late to her bio study group and hangs up the call.
9. David tries to reach Margot via FaceTime, phone calls, and texts, but she doesn't respond.
10. David notices that Margot left her laptop at home, which is unusual for her.
11. David contacts Margot's piano instructor and discovers that she stopped attending lessons six months prior.
12. David searches for Margot's social media accounts and finds that they are all private.
13. David logs into the family's old computer and finds Pam's session, which contains contacts for Margot's middle school friends.
14. David contacts one of Margot's friends, Isaac, and asks him about Margot's whereabouts.
15. Isaac tells David that Margot was invited to a camping trip, but she never showed up.
16. David files a missing person report and detective Rosemary Vick is assigned to the case.
17. Vick asks David to share more information about Margot and her disappearance.
18. David searches for Margot's online activity and finds a live streaming website called "YouCast."
19. David discovers that Margot had a regular viewer on YouCast, a user named "fish n chips."
20. David contacts "fish n chips" and discovers that she is a woman who was catfishing Margot.
21. David tracks down the woman's number and calls her, but she seems clueless about the streaming website and the details of the case.
22. David discovers that detective Vick is not who she claims to be and is actually the mother of the boy who catfished Margot.
23. Vick's son had been talking to Margot online and had been taking money from her, claiming that it was for his mother's hospital bills.
24. Vick's son followed Margot to a lake, where she got high and panicked, and he accidentally pushed her off a cliff.
25. Vick assumed that Margot was dead and took lead of the investigation to cover up the crime.
26. Vick faked a confession from an ex-con and had him killed to make it look like Margot was dead.
27. Margot is found alive and makes a full recovery.
28. Margot and her father come to terms with their past and Margot starts playing piano again.