So far, the most prevalent point of discussion about Aneesh Chaganty’s movie Searching has been about the use of social media platforms as a lens for viewing a desperate father’s search for his missing daughter. However, it’s also interesting to look into the father-daughter dynamics within an Asian American family.
Margot and her father David, played by Michella La and John Cho respectively, appear to have a close and seemingly open relationship. As a result of this, David believes that his daughter is comfortable with telling him anything. He soon finds out that he is completely wrong.
David, expecting Margot to come home after a late night study session with her friends, panics when she doesn’t pick up her phone, ignores his texts, and leaves her laptop at home. Lost, worried, and anxious, he decides to find out where she is by logging into her social media accounts.
While falling down the rabbit hole of social media, he learns things about his daughter that make him feel as if he doesn’t know her at all – a realization that no parent wants to accept.
But is this the case for all Asian American families? Do kids never feel comfortable sharing parts of their lives with their parents?
David’s recognition of his lack of a trusting relationship with his daughter may hit home for a lot of parents. Of course, not all father-daughter relationships are like this, but it’s a compelling and near accurate narrative a lot of individuals may experience.
From my experience, it seems that a lot of people assume that Asian parents are always reserved, strict, and hard to reach, which results in their children being distant, isolated and unable to form a strong relationship with them. This assumption deprives those parents of the same respect that non-Asian parents might attain, and paints them in a negative light. At times, it can be difficult for me to uphold the expectations imposed by my parents, who sometimes possess these stricter qualities. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate all they’ve done for me. It’s a complex dynamic that isn’t always successfully portrayed in media without the audience developing an annoyance with the parents.
This is why it’s important to recognize the characterization of David in Searching, as it comments on his inability to be more approachable to his daughter, but also shows the audience that it’s not always easy for parents to understand the exact needs of their children. David garnered more sympathy because of the depiction of his difficulty openly communicating with Margot. However, when he becomes aware of her needs, he tries his best to connect with her, making sure that Margot knows he’s always there for her.
The nuances of the endearing father-daughter relationship Chaganty illustrates are important to note. Perhaps this could be attributed to the fact that Chaganty is Asian American himself. This shows that it is paramount to have diversity behind the screen as well to ensure that narratives are well represented to an audience unfamiliar with the complexities of relationships between Asian Americans and their parents.