I never thought that I would actually write a review on movies based on interesting tech scenarios until now. This is because one, I personally love watching different series and movie genres and two, I love tech. How these two blend together gives me insights into the storyline depicted in live-rolling films, whether it is sci-fi related or thriller kind. But in this article, I want to explain more about the tech part on the side of Cybersecurity and probably tech brands with respective products with two films I watched on Netflix.
This year, I have been exposed to a lot of cybersecurity stuff and content with some influences from the likes of Dr Bright Gameli and our writers at GizMunch in the CyberSecurity Monday column; Robert Nyinge and Job Kipchirchir.
I had personally started exploring some cybersecurity courses from CISCO Skills For All and Networking Academy during my semester (and taking a unit called Computer System Security). So far, I can acknowledge the fact that cybersecurity is a very crucial and important branch of technology in this modern era considering the history of cyber attacks that have happened so far in 2023. Now I can familiarize myself with some terms and security practices for knowledge purposes.
I will not break down everything in cybersecurity terms, but I will narrow down some interesting stuff. So, if I had to ask, how tech-savvy can you be in any age bracket you're in? How much can you rely on tech to solve a huge problem? Or get you out of a serious situation? Or when you are in danger? Or when you try to find a missing person? Enter 2 movie franchises Searching and Missing. Warning, this article may contain spoilers of the 2 films.
Searching
"Searching" is a 2018 thriller film directed by Aneesh Chaganty. The movie follows the story of David Kim, played by John Cho, a desperate father searching for his missing 16-year-old daughter, Margot, portrayed by Michelle La. The unique aspect of the film is its storytelling method, as it unfolds entirely through screens—computer screens, smartphones, surveillance footage, and social media.
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| Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment |
As David investigates Margot's disappearance, he delves into her online life and discovers secrets that challenge his understanding of his daughter. The movie explores themes of family, connection, and the impact of technology on relationships. The suspenseful narrative keeps viewers engaged as the mystery unravels, and the film received acclaim for its innovative storytelling approach and Cho's compelling performance.
Missing
"Missing" is a 2023 American thriller film directed by Floria Sigismondi and written by Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty. The film stars Storm Reid as June Allen, a teenager who uses her computer skills to search for her mother, Grace (Nia Long), who has disappeared while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung).
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| Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment |
June initially assumes that her mother's disappearance is just a misunderstanding, but when she cannot contact Grace or Kevin, she becomes increasingly worried. She contacts the FBI, but they are unable to provide any concrete information. Frustrated, June decides to take matters into her own hands and begins to investigate the disappearance using her mother's laptop and social media accounts.
Missing has received generally positive reviews from critics. Many have praised the film's use of technology, the performances of the main cast, and the suspenseful plot.
The real issues addressed in both films
I love how both films have similar themes that relate to the real world. Themes like the dangers of online anonymity, the importance of trust and communication in relationships and the resilience of the human spirit. What actually caught my attention in both films was how the theme of OSINT was portrayed in the films.
OSINT stands for Open Source Intelligence. It refers to the process of collecting and analyzing information that is publicly available and accessible to anyone. In both films, the protagonists use various sources to find information from news articles and social media posts, social media profiles, images and videos, maps and location data to trace missing persons and their recent trails.
In Searching, David has been a frequent computer user for years and has learned to use certain sites and tools over the years to become a tech-literate parent, while in Missing, June is already a tech-literate youth since she grew up with tech around her and social media being part of her daily life in her late teens more than her mother Grace.
I couldn't help but notice how both protagonists depend on Apple products like MacBooks and iPhones with how they are synced with their functional Apple IDs, and they also have fictional Google accounts. To me, there is some reputation identity going on. It is no secret or surprise that Apple has a well-established ecosystem that just works within the network. Google on the other hand has privacy limitations and some digital trails private to users within a certain scope.
Takeaways from the films
The term Online Privacy is what I learnt from both films. It is really important to clear your trail on the internet for your own online safety. Sensitive data like credit card numbers and transaction records can be used against you for malicious cases.
Amid danger or attack, it is probably useful to have your family contact or close loved one for emergencies by linking them to your personal accounts, not social media accounts. It might help them trace your whereabouts in desperate times.
Limit your location preferences on your devices. In most devices, the apps we use may tend to use location services without our knowledge, so with the current version of apps of operating systems, you can limit location access and hide your device IP address from unauthorized access.