O Silêncio do Lago

SPOORLOOS (THE VANISHING) has been categorized as a horror / thriller / suspense film for the most part. Having watched it several times over the years, I consider it to be a tragedy with a bleak atmosphere of building dread, all leading to a horrific finale. This is a tale of love, loss, and the maddening effects of the unknown.

Young couple, Rex Hofman (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia Wagter (Johanna ter Steege) are on a holiday trip, when Saskia goes missing. Thus begins a three year ordeal for Rex, who, in addition to being shattered by the incident, is also obsessed with solving the mystery of Saskia's disappearance. His entire life is geared toward finding out what happened to her, to the exclusion of all else.

Enter Raymond Lemorne (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu), who is shown as the prime suspect from the very beginning. Rex and Raymond are on a fateful collision course, driven by each man's desire to "know".

Much foreshadowing at the start of the film -including Saskia's revealing of her greatest fear, a symbolic dream, and the couple's almost ritualistic use of a pair of coins- make what follows as mystical as it is heartbreaking.

Along the way, we also learn much about the character of Lemorne, making him a far more nuanced villain than in most such works. While we may not be able to relate to his motives, we do gain understanding of why he does what he does. In the end, we feel the results of his actions.

SPOORLOOS is a masterpiece of darkness and sorrow...

There aren't too many scenarios like this one. The original version and the Hollywood remake of this film were both directed by the same man, George Sluizer. As I understand from popular opinion, this is one film that was fine the first time round, and not well received on the second go. I cannot fairly compare them, and I have no more desire to see the remake of "Spoorloos" than I do the remake of "La Femme Nikita", namely "The Point Of No Return".

I saw the original version upon the strong recommendation of a newspaper reviewer proclaiming it one of the most disturbing films they'd ever seen. The photograph of a young couple about to be torn apart in the paper reeled me in.

A pleasant holiday excursion goes horribly wrong when a man's lady friend goes missing at a crowded rest stop. He grasps at straws in desperation as very little can be done because few clues or leads exist. The abduction is arbitrary and nearly flawless.

The film was indeed well done and what struck me the most was the focus on that of the villain. It is a portrayal of a normal, respectable family man who trains himself in meticulous detail for an abduction. His cold, calculating approach is probably the most frightening aspect. His inhumanity is difficult to comprehend.

Many film endings can be shocking and may stick with you forever, and for a lot of people that is certainly the case with this film. That's why I was surprised to learn that the TV commercials for this film gave away the ending. However it didn't ruin the film for me.

The suspense and chilling setting of this film makes it hard to forget. The viewer constantly wondering, "What would I do?" or "How would I cope?". Impossible questions we all hope we'll never find the answer to.

Of course, keep a few handy responses in mind should you watch this with your better half when they ask the inevitable, almost rhetorical question, "What would you do if I went missing and you couldn't find me?"

"I'd surely die, dear."

After reading several recommendations of Spoorloos (a.k.a. The Vanishing), I went ahead and bought the Criterion DVD release, which, by the way, has no extras. Let me say, I was not disappointed with the movie. If you like well-made, well-directed thrillers, it is definitely worth checking out. The story was simple enough; Rex's girlfriend mysteriously disappears at a gas station they stopped at while on vacation. Cut ahead three years and you still have him searching for her. Due to his persistence, the man responsible finally decides to get involved.

With very little violence and no gore, Spoorloos was able to leave the viewer in a truly depressing state. Some people might call it boring but I found the slow and steady pace to work in favor of the characters, as the acting was top notch. So was the direction of the scenes, which were set up quite nicely. It was interesting to see such attention paid to both the victim and criminal's point of view. You could really understand the desperation, confusion, and obsession that Rex felt with his loss. In turn, you see cold evil in a form that does exist in our world. While maybe not shocking to all viewers, the ending is terrifyingly tragic, made so by the realism and calmness throughout the film. Just ask yourself, how would you feel if that happened to you?

If pushed for a criticism, I would say that some of the symbolism seemed a bit too heavy handed but other then that, this is an intelligent, deep thriller. I have not seen the American remake (oddly enough, both versions are from director George Sluizer) but I can all but guarantee that the original is what you want to go with first. Many people suggest skipping the remake altogether!

George Sluizer directed the brilliant, unforgettable Dutch/French suspense flick Spoorloos aka The Vanishing (not to be confused with the wretched 1993 American remake, which he was also directed--difficult as that is to fathom), a potent, haunting, and impressively nuanced thriller. . As for the original, it remains a remarkably effective psychological thriller and an obvious influence on films as diverse as Breakdown, Joy Ride and With a Friend Like Harry. Not to mention, the theme of disappearance has been attempted by many great directors (Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes), but it has never been done as spooky as it is here. It belies how strange life is and how relevant our dreams are.

The film begins with a young Amsterdam couple on vacation in the south of France. They have apparently not been together for a long time as they are still getting to know each other, getting in tune with each other's rhythms. At one point Saskia relates to Rex a terrifying recurring dream she can't explain, which really haunts her when their car runs out of gas in the middle of a deep tunnel. Later, they stop at a park for a short time, and Saskia decides to go into a convenience store to get drinks. But she never returns. After awhile, Rex naturally becomes frantic and goes to the police.

Suddenly the film shifts its focus to the story of Raymond, an ordinary family man, a teacher who is also a self-absorbed intellectual. He is obsessed with the idea of good vs. evil and sets out to experiment with the possibility that he might have an evil side he has never tapped. How Raymond's experiments tie into Saskia's disappearance makes for a fascinating game that eventually takes on cat-and-mouse proportions — but does not go down the roads you will expect.

This film is so well-crafted, that it is easy to get carried away and think that more is being said than what has transpired. But in the simplicity of its story, it becomes easy to identify with the Amsterdam couple and feel caught up in their dreamworld which intermingles with their real-life. A film that is very much in the Hitchcock suspense mode.

STOP!!!!

Observe these 3 rules if you plan on seeing this film:

Rule #1, AVOID the 1993 remake "The Vanishing" or if you absolutely need to see it, watch the original first.

Rule #2, If you're of a sensative nature and easily depressed, don't watch this.

Rule #3, do NOT read any other comments on this film until you have seen it. This is a love it or hate it type of movie and looking for opinions to decide if you want to see this WILL ruin it for you. See it first, form your own opinion, then check back here. Trust me on this, you'll thank me afterwards.