Another slice of media that feeds into our obsession with true crime, Susie Searches is a quirky comedy/thriller that can’t altogether escape the trappings of its by-the-book structure, but an engaging performance from the always watchable Kiersey Clemons, a few neat twists and turns throughout, and one hell of an ending is sure to leave audiences ultimately glad they came along to help solve Sophie Kargman‘s mystery.
The titular Susie (Clemons) is an awkward college student of sorts who has an obsession with true crime. An interest that began from her childhood, where she would instinctually solve the mysteries of the crime novels her mother would read to her at night, Susie has channelled her passion into a podcast of her own – “Susie Searches” – but in juggling that, her school workload, caring for her now ailing mother and a monotonous food service job (where Rachel Sennott steals every minute possible as her snarky co-worker), her personal life has taken a considerable backseat.
Her social outcast-ness and inability to drive her followers up manage to be solved in one foul swoop, however, when classmate – and campus “celebrity” – Jesse (Alex Wolff) mysteriously disappears, and she takes it upon herself to solve the case. As much as Kargman’s film explores Susie’s own desire to truly succeed at solving crimes, her script delves deeper into the exploration of loneliness and the need for connection, with Susie’s podcast and her Twitter account acting as her gateway to such. There’s the sense that as much as she dives in to solve Jesse’s disappearance, there’s an ulterior motive lingering; Jesse’s popularity can transfer to her should she find him and they ride the publicity wave together.
Without giving too much away, Susie Searches toys with just who we should be barracking for throughout. Susie herself is someone we constantly question, but Clemons’s nuanced performance injects the character with so much heart that we want to ignore, or even accept, the darker tendencies of her personality. Her own questionable mentality is well balanced by Wolff’s inherently sweet portrayal of Jesse, with the two earning a natural chemistry that speaks to their effortless likeability; though there’s always an uncertainty surrounding Jesse that further leans into Kargman’s ability to shape morally dubious characters.
Whilst the film’s tone isn’t always consistent – it’s never seemingly sure if it wants to commit to being a thriller or a comedy – Susie Searches is never lost for intrigue. When we think the film has shown its hand, it pulls another card out to make us question all that has come before, and just as it appears to be wrapping up in the neatest of manners, it saves its best reveal for last. Primarily succeeding off the eccentric energy of Clemons, Susie Searches is worthy of an exploration.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Susie Searches is releasing in theatres in the United States on July 28th, 2023. An Australian release is yet to be determined.
