The Vanishing (1988) by George Sluizer is a French film and is classed as a thriller; however there are many aspects to the film which challenge the typical 'thriller' genre. This will form a substantial part of my post.
First of all, the audience sees the entire film through Rex's point of view (the protagonist) as well as Raymond's point of view (the antagonist). This is very rare in thriller films and forms an objective view on the issue at hand.
The plot is as follows; Dutch holiday makers Saskia and Rex decide to make a trip, all seems well till Saskia disappears at the busy gas station in broad day light. The long search for her fate and whereabouts begins.
The constant delay of Saskia's vanishing increases the dramatic tension. At the beginning, Rex returns to his car in the tunnel and Saskia isn't there, we soon discover she is at the end of the tunnel. This provides a sly hint that a vanishing will occur very soon and promotes the film as a thriller.
In thrillers, such as American Psycho, the killer is constantly represented as evil, through their bizarre characteristics or odd appearance, leads us to label them as the antagonist.
However, in The Vanishing Raymond appears normal, he is a family man and has a respectable job as a chemistry teacher (which is ironic as one can argue he is doing an experiment with Saskia and Rex).
It is his perfectionism which stands out, his strict rules in his classroom and his dominating nature towards his wife and daughters. His neatly cut sandwiches also add to suspicions that he may have a neurosis. His perfectionist personality is put to use when Raymond begins preparing the abduction, we see him calculating the distance it will take to lure a passed out woman to his holiday home.
We are even shown how he tests out the possibility that his victim may scream and he cleverly uses his family to test this out by provoking them to play a screaming game.
The development of Raymond's character is presented in an awkward and chilling manner. We even begin to feel comfortable with him and understand his reasons for kidnapping Saskia, due to his philosophical explanations.
The fact that we understand Raymond and his actions shows us that anyone can do these things, worst of all the audience's view on morality is challenged.
The Vanishing goes against typical thrillers in a number of ways; there is an absence of a sexual motive. Rex asks Raymond is he has raped Saskia and through Raymond's expression, the audience can sense he is somewhat insulted and shocked by the question. This makes the motive even more twisted as he is treating people like ingredients to play out in his own experiment (like his chemistry lessons).
The antagonist also remains calm and self aware from the start to the end. He is aware of the reality of the situation he has created and explains his reasons to Rex in an honest and polite manner. Rex begins to use the same words as Raymond at one sequence, this is disturbing as it shows that not only is the audience familiar and forming an odd bond with Raymond, so is Rex.
The main aspect of the film that does not adhere to typical thrillers is the constant symbolism of the golden egg. The golden egg represented first through Saskia's explanation of her dream, then the yellow Frisbee, the torch lights at the end of the tunnel, the flame and both of Saskia and Rex's clothes are yellow. The symbol is mystical and imaginative; it provokes the idea that one can never escape their fate. The fate of both Rex and Saskia is eternal isolation.
At the end of the film the golden symbol comes into play as the shot of the oval shaped newspaper pictures of Rex and Saskia are present. Blackness drowns the screen and the credits begin rolling. The audience is left without the slightest crumb of comfort, instead we are presented with the idea of an eternal void, two lovers destined to fly parallel in separate eggs and never to meet again.
An immense sense of eternal torment and loneliness is projected here.
The Vanishing is an art house film and even though it has similar qualities to a typical thriller it contains symbolism which makes it original. It provokes the idea that our lives are controlled eternally by fate and that in some cases it's not all good willed. George Sluizer made a Hollywood re-make of
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