VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE

US, 1999, 85 minutes, Colour.
Shelley Long, William R. Moses.
Directed by Douglas Barr.

Vanished Without a Trace is a story of child abduction. It stars Shelley Long as a distraught mother, who gains some strength even in her grief, pursues the case with determination. Her husband is played by William R. Moses, a former policeman now security guard who finds it very difficult to cope with the disappearance of his daughter and her possible death.

The film opens with suggestions about how children might be abducted from city streets. The story continues with the daughter missing from her home. All kinds of investigations are held, by the police, with psychics who give some clues, by personal investigation. The end is rather tragic, the daughter being murdered. However, as with many of these stories, the perpetrator is someone in the neighbourhood, known to the family.

The film is familiar material, is very similar to episodes in television series on vanishing and abduction. However, the film is well played and keeps audience interest.

1.Audience interest in abductions? The taking of children? Dangers and consequences?

2.The neighbourhood setting, homes, sports centres, school, playing fields? An authentic touch?

3.The title, the desperation, the helplessness of parents in the face of almost no clues? Police investigations? Using all means, even psychics, to find lost children?

4.The opening and the establishing of clues, perpetrators allowed into neighbourhoods? Their covering their identities? The three girls and their wandering the city, the man following? Audience relief when Elizabeth found her daughter?

5.The family, the love of husband and wife, the children? The domestic detail, happiness, squabbles? Sports, clothes? The wilfulness of thirteen- year-old girls? Cantankerous boys? Elizabeth and her strength of character? Jack and his withdrawal from the police force, quick temper? The suspicions of the neighbour and the confrontations?

6.Kathy’s disappearance? Elizabeth picking her up, concern? The beginning of the search, the children? Davis and the police? Jack and his wanting to intervene? Searching for clues, Kathy’s room being a crime scene? The confrontation with Farley? His innocence? His later coming after the funeral to apologise and Jack’s apology?

7.The police work, the personalities of the police, their friendship with Jack, the initial suspicions, his argument with his daughter, his being at the warehouse, his satisfactory alibi? The further questionings, the time passing, the loss of clues? The women coming forward, the finding of Bobby Lewis, his burglaries? The interrogation? Elizabeth’s later interrogation of him in prison, the clue concerning Scott?

8.Karen and Scott, their friendship, the sports centre? Elizabeth confiding in Karen? The relationship between Karen and Scott, having a baby? His growing alienation, suspicions, his doing the push-ups and rejecting Karen? The revelation of the truth, his trying to abduct Sarah? Elizabeth’s confrontation, their restraining her from hitting him? His explaining that he was sick?

9.The family, the consequences, the boys and their not understanding? The parents and the difficulties, tensions? Each supporting the other, making demands on the other?

10.Elizabeth and her going to the psychic, the clues, the memories about the rotten egg smell, finding Kathy’s body? Discussing the issues with witnesses, getting clues? The indications of Scott’s guilt, knowing about what Kathy was wearing, the purple tracksuit…?

11.The sadness of the funeral? Parents and their grief? The discussions about how to cope, to get through such crises?

12.The melodramatic finale – appropriate for the film? Yet the film not shirking the reality of abducted children being killed?