The Vanishing (or Spoorloos in its native Holland) introduces us to Rex Hofman (Gene Bervoets) and his girlfriend Saskia (Johanna ter Steege). On vacation in France, the couple has pulled into a gas station/mini-mart to refuel, and to pick up some snacks. Saskia heads into the store while Rex attends to the car. She never returns. After several hours of a desperate search, she appears to have vanished.

While Rex eventually heads home without her, Saskia’s disappearance dominates his life. Even three years later, he searches everywhere, putting up posters with her picture all over the country, even appearing on television, urging anyone with information about her disappearance to contact him. Rex’s new girlfriend Lieneke (Gwen Eckhaus) reluctantly agrees to help with the search in the hope that it will help him move on.

It’s revealed early in the film that Raymond Lemorne (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) is the man responsible for Saskia’s disappearance. A chemist with horn-rimmed glasses, a carefully groomed goatee, a wife, and two children, initially, he hardly seems like a predator. But, it soon becomes clear that there’s a lot we don’t know about this man. I’ll leave it there for fear of spoiling this fantastic, atypical thriller.

Tim Krabbe’s book The Golden Egg provided the basis for the script which he began writing with director George Sluizer before he was forced out of the collaboration. While Sluizer tells us pretty much everything we need to know about the events as they unfold, his careful attention to detail when it comes to the stories of the two main male characters—Rex and Raymond—is where the intrigue is derived from. We learn about both men’s personalities—Rex’s guilty conscience and Raymond’s psychopathic tendencies—but we still don’t know what how the characters are going to react to what we as viewers already know. It’s an ingenious way to present the story, and the ending is one you won’t forget.

Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu’s Raymond is perfect. At first, he seems normal, bordering on nerdy. It’s not long before a sense of potential menace creeps into his personality; a slightly awkward smile, occupying an emotionless façade. Gene Bervoets Rex morphs from a bit of a lout to genuinely remorseful through the course of the film and the psychological toll of Saskia’s disappearance dhows in his physical appearance as time passes. The Vanishing was Johanna ter Steege’s first film, and she turns in a fine performance as the catalyst for what some might call the ultimate mind game.

Framed in the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, Criterion’s 1080p Blu-ray transfer was taken from a new 4k restoration of original film elements. The image is incredibly sharp throughout, exhibiting strong details in terms of facial features, clothing, etc. Colors are well modulated throughout, and black levels are impressive. There are no obvious compression issues, artifacts, or unnecessary edge enhancements. The film is a bit grainy in spots, serving to remind us that The Vanishing was shot on film rather than video. As with many Criterion releases, it’s hard to imagine this film looking any better on Blu-ray than it does here.

The disc offers the mono soundtrack in PCM 1.0. While not the most ambitious track you’ll ever hear, it does a fine job handling this largely dialogue based film. Depth is solid considering it’s just one channel, and the levels are well balanced throughout. Henny Vrienten’s versatile music score and the natural sound effects are mixed in well with the rest of the film.

English subtitles are included.

The following extras are available:

  • George Sluizer Interview (HD, 19:05) Conducted exclusively for Criterion at the director’s home in France in May 2014, Sluizer recalls how he obtained the rights to Tim Krabbe’s book, writing the script, his interactions with the actors, the shooting process, and more.
  • Johanna ter Steege Interview (HD, 14:24) Conducted exclusively for Criterion in Amsterdam in June 2014, the actress discusses how she got the part of Saskia, and her overall contribution to the film.
  • Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:32)
  • Leaflet: Features an essay by critic Scott Foundas.