the vanishing and or spoorloos ( it original dutch title ) tell the story of rex hofman ( bernard pierre donnadieu ) and who be on a carefree road trip with his girlfriend and saskia ( johanna ter steege ) . after break down inside a tunnel and the two make their way to a busy truck stop in the french countryside and and saskia go inside to grab a few thing . but when she fail to return to the car and panic ensues and and rex begin a frantic search for his miss girlfriend . three year later and saskia be still miss and and the abductor and raymond lemorne ( bernard pierre donnadieu ) and a cool facaded college professor and begin contact rex and promising to tell him the truth of what he do to saskia . but rex and desperate for answer and find himself in a situation more horrifying than he could have ever imagine . i would hear of the vanishing before and and how it be hail a a psychological chiller classic and but i have no idea that the version that i be aware of be actually a remake of a 1980s french or dutch film . that be and until i mistake this movie for the 1993 american version at the video store . when i take it home and begin watch and i immediately realize this be the original french film and but i be extremely happy that i make this mistake . why . because otherwise i wouldn not have get to watch this excellent movie . i have yet to see the american remake of the film and so i can not compare the two and but i can easily say that i find this to be one of the most effective psychological horror film i have have the pleasure of see . truly worthy of the hitchcockian label and the vanish weave a tale that be both frighten and dramatic . when the film begin and it get off slowly . nothing much happen for a good thirty minute and but we and the audience and already know something bad be come in the way of our character . and when that moment happen and it scary because of how realistically depict it be . everything in this film be realistic and and i think that give it a lot of power . the character and their action and their rationale it all seem so human and and it be easy to sympathize with them . after saskia have vanish and the rest of the film focus on both rex and raymond and and the mind game that raymond begin with rex and who be desperately seek the truth . the theme in this film be relate able a well the loss of a loved one and the desperate need to find the truth behind what happen to them . all of this be natural human reaction and but the situation in which it place be unusually and sufficiently frighten . the imagery in the film be lyrical and the camera work excellent and and the symbolism effective . it an atmospheric movie and this be another one of it large benefactor . it leave it audience in a surreal and somewhat depressed state and and a film that can do that have get to have achieve something worthy of recognition . the acting be great and donnadieu play a role reminiscent of rutger hauer performance in the hitcher and and bervoets be convince a the rex character and desperate in find answer . johanna ter steege be also great a rex ill fat girlfriend and saskia . a for the much talk about end and all i can say be wow . i do not see it come and and it isn not anything remotely like your typical story conclusion . it and as well a the rest of the film and be depress and dark and and somber and and while i wouldn not call it a twist ( because it really isn not ) and it still extremely effective . overall and spoorloos and or the vanishing be a surreal and scary film . the story be near genius and worthy of a hitchcock status and and the movie be extremely well make . for fan of slow go and almost dreamlike psychological horror film and the vanishing be an absolute must see . it leave you with a strange and unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach and and pose a thought provoke question how far would you go to discover the truth . perhaps sometimes the truth be well left unknown . i can not stress enough that filmgoers should not be put off by foreign language movie . if youre too lazy to handle subtitle and then you will miss out on excellent film like this and many and many others . positive .