THE VANISHING
Holland, 1988, 107 minutes, Colour.
Bernard- Pierre Donadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna Ter Steege.
Directed by George Sluizer.
The Vanishing is an extraordinarily effective psychological thriller. A Dutch film, it is based on the novel by Timothy Krabbe, The Gold Egg (which is a symbol used in the film.) The screenplay was co-written by Krabbe and director, George Sluizer. Sluizer's direction of the film is a mixture of naturalism and heightened tension. Comparisons are made with Hitchcock and suspense. One could also recall the terrors of George Orwell's 1984 and Room 101 - and the finale of the film.
The film is well acted, focussing on the disappearance of a woman. Also intercut is the life of an ordinary seeming teacher who, we know, is responsible for the vanishing. Three
years later the man is still searching for the vanished girl - and encounters the man responsible with dire results. The film focuses on love, obsession, curiosity as well as detached sociopathic understanding of good and evil.
All together this makes for a persuasive psychological thriller with a nightmare ending.
1. Impact of the psychological thriller? The situation? Characters and motivations? The finale?
2. The film from the Dutch film industry, Dutch and French locations, authentic? Musical score?
3. The structure of the film: introduction to the couple, the event, the dreams, the vanishing? The gap of three years? The interaction of the two men? The flashbacks, the explanations, the repetition of the vanishing?
4. The title, the tunnel and the dreams, the loneliness and isolation, the symbol of the golden egg? The finale and the photos of the man and the woman as in golden eggs and isolation?
5. The overall impact of the film: good, ordinariness, evil and extraordinariness? Cruelty, victims, death and horror?
6. Establishing the characters of Rex and Saskia? Driving, the bikes, ordinary, in love, their bickering, the petrol, running out of it in the tunnel? Intimations of fear and panic? Dreams? Making up, the frisbee, Rex waiting, Saskia waving, the vanishing?
7. The effect on Rex, the search, the officials, growing obsession, wanting to know? Three years pass, the posters, the new girlfriend? Saskia presence in his consciousness? The mysterious post card? Going to rendezvous, the man not turning up? At work, the computer, and the name, Saskia? His girlfriend leaving him? The importance of the television interview, his explanations, pleading? Rex as an ordinary man, intensity in moods, grief, blaming himself, desperation?
8. Saskia as an attractive character, audience sympathy, relating to Rex easy and pleasant, hopes? The comparison with the second girlfriend and her love for Rex, her not being able to take Saskia's place, her going?
9. Lemorne: first seeing him, sunlight but sinister, the false arm plaster, his watching Saskia, choosing her, the blend of the sinister and the ordinary? Not knowing what exactly he did? Going to his family, the pleasing ordinary family, the picnic, the black humour of his getting them to scream? His expertise, exactness. timing? Experiences and chloroform? The passing of time?
10. Seeing him at class, teaching science, the examination? His philosophy of good and evil, his daring talk? With the family, his daughters? The presents, and his idea for the plaster cast? Watching Rex, at the open square restaurant? Watching him on television? His decision, the arrival, telling the truth, confronting Rex, the relationship during the drive, their talking, the revelation?
11. Lemorne's revelation of himself: the memory of being sixteen, the possibility of jumping or not, predestined to jump or not, intervening against destiny? His motives, explanations of his sociopathic condition? His injury and the later photo? His marriage, the passing of time, the children, the little girl drowning and heroism in saving her? The decision to try evil, motive, malevolence? The attempts to get the woman - asking for help with the trailer and the husband intervening? The girl willing to help and his sneezing with the chloroform? His plan, talking to Saskia, changing the money, the key ring and her love for Rex, taking her to his car? What was he wanting to prove?
12. Rex's reaction, anger and curiosity, the dilemma about drinking the coffee, refusing, finding Saskia's coins under the tree, a sign, his return and the decision to experience what she experienced, the talk, the tenderness?
13. The horror of the ending, Lemorne burying him alive, in the coffin, the anguish, echoes of Edgar Allan Poe? The cigarette lighter and the air running out?
14. The final irony with Lemorne resuming his ordinary day by day life?
15. The finale with the photos, in the two oval egg shapes? The experience of the audience, feelings, experiencing love and cruelty, hatred and obsession, curiosity, sharing and loneliness, madness and normality?
