The Vanishing
Article by Bindi Lavelle

What makes for a good scary film? Well obviously it has to evoke fear in the audience, and to achieve this the film must completely capture the viewers' imagination and even empathy. Some films do little more than provide cheap thrills while others like The Vanishing leave an unseatlling fear lingering.
The Vanishing, directed by, the versitile George Sluiz (who also directed the US remake 5 years later), follows the story of Rex Hofmaa, who after the mysterous disappearance of his girlfriend, Saskia while on holiday becomes obsessed with uncovering what happened to her.
Rex's search is bisected by scenes from the life of Ramond a painfully average man, who however has some information about Saskia's disappearance.
The magic of this film is rather than being a by the numbers crime thriller or dwelling on a romantic version of obsession, it is a psycological thriller which appeals to multiple elements of the psyche.
Throughout the film the audience sees, loss,love and the overwhelming threat of the unknown. The protagonist is held captive by these emotions, driving him further and further down a dark path both physically and metally as seen in the film's climax.
Sluiz, crafted a film that not only appeals to the interlect, but also has a strong visual aesthetic; The sense of insolation and desperation that comes from years of searching is illustrated beautifully.
The Vanishing illustrated how far a person is willing to go for knowledge. It makes for such a immersing film because it is so emotive and takes the audience with Rex down the dark path for answers.