Night 8: ‘The Vanishing’ (1988)

Unfortunately, my copy of The Vanishing (or Spoorloos, according to the original poster) didn’t come with full subtitles, so by the third act I was watching the film with no idea of what the characters were saying.

Although the acting and setting are enough to give you a good enough idea of what’s happening, it seems a little unfair to give the film a rating. So, more than a review, I wanted to share my thoughts on The Vanishing, and what I got from it during this flawed watch.

The movie tells the story of a couple who are traveling by car and taking some days off. All seems to be going swimmingly, but when they stop at a service station, Saskia (Johanna ter Steege) disappears. It’s an abrupt ending for their vacation, but only the start of her husband’s obsession with finding her again. A quest that will take him years.

The movie in general can feel a little dull and slow sometimes, but once it picks up it does it with equal amounts of humor and raw terror. The Vanishing not only focuses on the happy couple, but on the criminal himself: an unassuming man who has a knack for testing the limits. As he himself explains, he doesn’t stop where other people stop, but dares to go one step further.

And although we see him do just that, we also see his human side as a father and an educator. It’s a chilling and effective way of delving into the mind of a killer. It puts the terror in humanity itself, forcing us to face how horrifyingly thin the line between morality and primitive instinct really is.

The movie also has a clever, comical way of keeping you on your toes. In numerous moments, everything seems to indicate that the kidnapping will happen at that moment, yet it doesn’t. Similarly, we see the criminal’s numerous attempts at finally committing the perfect crime, yet hesitation and a clever editing will keep your hopes up, convincing you that he won’t.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t appreciate the interactions between the husband and the kidnapper, as, in a fascinating turn of events, the criminal presents himself to his victim’s lover and takes him on a long trip to confess it all.

The absurdity of the situation is quite amusing. However, once the kidnapping itself is shown, there’s something profoundly sobering, heartbreaking and dark that permeates the rest of the movie, right until its very last frame.

The Vanishing is definitely a film that deserves a second watch –with the proper subtitles!

Grade: missing!

Scare Factor: mostly psychological.

Gore/violence: only hinted at.

Nudity/sexual situations: none.