Searching

John Krish’s haunting fire prevention film prowls through a carefully designed burned-out shell of a set.

The camera’s desperate prowl through a carefully designed wreckage of a set is meticulously planned and expertly executed for maximum impact. Consisting of a mere three tracking shots, joined by barely noticeable dissolves, and occupying a total running time of less than one minute, Searching hits viewers hard where it hurts: their primeval parental fear of their children predeceasing them.

Not for the first time, John Krish turned out a masterful bite-sized slice of ‘public service cinema’ (it is entirely apt to dub Searching ‘cinema’ even though its outlet was TV). It won for the COI a Venice Golden Lion and a Hollywood ‘Spike’ trophy. A generation later, it still hits hard and still hurts.