In cinemas this week: Debra Messing and John Cho star in tense psychological thriller Searching

WE all worry more about the internet these days – and new movie Searching will do nothing to change that.

The story of a father trying to find his missing 16-year-old daughter, this tense psychological thriller is nothing if not topical.

With so much discussion about identity theft, hacking, taking our personal details without our consent – basically being spied upon every time we use our devices – it really is a good time for a movie like Searching.

Thankfully, they have done it very, very well indeed, and it is sure to do well, with plenty of rave reviews already from the other side of the Atlantic.

You may know John Cho best from Star Trek movies – as Sulu in the Reboot series – or from American Pie, but this is quite a change for him and he suits this kind of tension.

He stars alongside Debra Messing, much-loved for her role as Grace Adler in Will and Grace, which seems to have been a TV hit forever.

She too isn’t known for making films as tense and scary as this one, but she makes a great job of it.

Cho plays David Kim, father of Margot and husband of Pamela, while Messing plays Detective Rosemary Vick.

With vast parts of the tale told from a computer screen, it’s a most unusual, and surprisingly scary, film.

When Kim discovers his daughter is missing, he takes to searching through her web history, going on to interview all the people who seemed to be close to her.

Gradually, it turns out that his perfect little girl was not really as perfect as he liked to imagine.

For anyone who wonders and worries about what their kids or grandkids get up to, online and in real life, it will hit home.

Messing’s own son, Roman, is 14 now, and his famous mother reckons he’s going through the most important part of his life – school.

“My parents always made school and education the number one priority” she says. “They believed that an education is the best gift you can give to your child.

“My son is very curious, which is fantastic. He loves school, so I don’t have to encourage him too much. But I love to do it, because… it’s meaningful and words are powerful.”

Unlike the generation portrayed in her new film, Debra didn’t have computers and tablets to be staring at all day, every day.

She stared at her big future influences instead, or entertained her mother.

“I was always singing and dancing for my mother when I wasn’t glued to the television, watching I Love Lucy or The Carol Burnett Show,” she admits.

Her son will always come first, but she loves the career she has.

“It’s a miracle to be an actor and know that you have a job to go to a year from now is a rare thing, so I think peace of mind and financial stability come with that,” she says.

“Hopefully I’m a little wiser and have a little more perspective in my life.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this latest venture goes, as it is anything like the humorous stuff she is known for. Our money’s on it being a hit.

Searching is in British cinemas from Friday August 31.