The Vanishing (1988)

Running Time: 107 minutes

Release Date: October 27, 1988

Review by: Stacey

Wow, that was a depressing doozy to watch.  The Vanishing (or Spoorloos) is a Dutch-French film that proves it doesn't need blood and guts to be horrifying.  There's a realism to everything about the film that will leave a lasting impression on you well after the ending credits roll. 

 

Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna ter Steege) are on vacation in France when a random stop at a service station results in Saskia being abducted.  Three years later and with no idea what happened to her, Rex's obsession with finding out the truth would be useless if it weren't for a man named Raymond (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu), who knows the whole truth.

 

    There's no denying what a well-made, well-written movie The Vanishing is.  Directed by George Sluzier (who also went on to direct the American remake), there is nothing "fun" about this movie.  It's not a horror movie in any traditional sense, but it's truly scary and heartbreaking from the scene with Saskia talking about her recurring nightmare to the final shot of a newspaper that ends on the bleakest note.

 

The performances alone were fantastic.  Bervoet as the boyfriend/friend consumed for years by the thought of the unknown is such a tragic role, you feel his hopelessness.  Johanna ter Steege lends this innocence to her role as Saskia that makes her fate that much more sad.  Even as the bad guy, Donnadieu had a weird likability to his character that made him all the more icky.  The most frightening aspect of his character is that you think he's a simple family man until you get this other view of him meticulously planning an abduction.  You think the bad guys will be easily identifiable but when you see the Raymond character and his motivations, you start to feel a little less safe.

 

If anyone would have a complaint, it would be about the length and pacing of the movie.  A slow burn, which I personally love, might put some people off, although I highly recommend giving this one a viewing.  It's a bummer of a film, but shouldn't go unappreciated.

5/5

 

Check out the trailer!