The Vanishing (1988)

Directed by George Sluizer. Starring Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Gwen Eckhaus, Johanna ter Steege, Bernadette Le Saché.

Chilling, unorthodox film presents the gut-wrenching disappearance of Bervoets’ girlfriend at a rest stop, but rather than turning into a mystery or a kidnapping thriller, the movie quickly reveals the man responsible (Donnadieu) and investigates his routines and behavior while the at-first-glance ordinary, pleasant man tests himself over what sort of evil he’s capable of committing. Terrifying not for its twists and shocks—as most thrillers attempt—but rather for its skin-crawling potential, the steady clarity of its monster (a seemingly well-adjusted family man, to boot), and its horrible truths (the sort where nihilism would have actually been preferred). Its study of Bervoets’ obsession over that unknown piece from his past is also discomforting, as most viewers will never be able to grapple with a mindset willing to risk oblivion for answers. Based on a Tim Krabbé novella (“The Golden Egg”). An ineffectual same-named American “remake” was released in 1993; astonishingly, Sluizer helmed that one, too. Original Dutch title: Spoorloos.

78/100