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The Vanishing

Spoorloos (The Vanishing)

1988

George Sluizer

Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus ...

6.8

3,862

Mystery. Thriller Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.

	Media	Author	Review
		FilmAffinity	Stanley Kubrick said it was the most terrifying film he’d ever seen.
		Hal Hinson The Washington Post	"[It] has a horrifying everydayness that makes it feel close-in and inescapable (...) A brilliantly crafted intellectual thriller (...) [that] carries you down with it."
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"The movie advances in a tantalizing fashion, supplying information obliquely, suggesting as much as it tells, and everything leads up to a climax that is as horrifying as it is probably inevitable.(…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times	"[It] succeeds the old-fashioned way: by hooking us on characters and undercurrents, seducing us into a clean, logical nightmare, then, after making each twist plausible, opening an abyss under our feet."
		Janet Maslin The New York Times	"Sluizer, whose direction has the spooky precision of nonfiction crime writing (...) makes the characters seem quite real (...) [It] features effectively controlled pacing and a credible performance from Mr. Donnadieu
		Mark Kermode Time Out	"An unforgettably chilling psychodrama which twists the slenderest of plots into a hellish exploration of human potential."
		Desson Thomson The Washington Post	"Sluizer unfolds his story with non-hysterical -- but nonetheless unnerving -- precision. 'Vanishing' is refreshingly free of manipulative scenes."
		Mike D'Angelo AV Club	"[It] takes its sweet, creepy time instilling the need to know, then fulfills that need in the bleakest, most terminal way imaginable. It’s as cruel as life."
		Brian Rentschler Screen Rant	"If you're looking for excellent character development with a healthy dose of disturbing creepiness, don't miss this one (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

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