Reedland

DIRECTOR & SCREENWRITER SVEN BRESSER HAS CERTAINLY SUCCEEDED IN CAPTURING THE DARK SIDE OF HUMANITY WITH THE SAME INTENSITY THAT YOU FIND IN NOVELISTS LIKE TANA FRENCH & ALICE FEENEY, & THIS FILM IS CERTAINLY A WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO OTHER DUTCH FILM THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED FOR OSCAR CONSIDERATION, SUCH AS "A WOMAN LIKE EVE" (THE FIRST FILM THAT I SAW AT THE LATE, MUCH LAMENTED GRAMERCY THEATER), & "THE ASSAULT." THE FILM'S DARK MOODINESS WAS DEFINITELY ENHANCED BY THE MISTY CINEMATOGRAPHY BY SAM DU PON, THE EERIE MUSIC BY LYCKLE de JONG, & ESPECIALLY BY THE BROODING PERFORMANCE BY GERRIT KNOBBE, WHO BRILLIANTLY CONVEYS THE DEVASTATION THAT HIS CHARACTER, JOHAN, FEELS UPON DISCOVERING THE BODY OF THE MURDERED YOUNG GIRL, & WHO ALSO SUCCEEDS IN MAKING US FEEL THE LOVE THAT HE HAS FOR HIS GRANDDAUGHTER. I'M NOT SURE WHY DIRECTOR BRESSER CHOSE TO END THE FILM THE WAY HE DID (WHICH I WON'T SPOIL FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT). BUT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN SOME JUSTICE FOR THE MURDERED GIRL. BUT, THEN AGAIN., I WAS DISAPPOINTED BY THE ENDING OF THE DUTCH VERSION OF "THE VANISHING," & I MUCH PREFERRED THE ENDING OF THE AMERICAN REMAKE. I GUESS MR. BRESSER WOULD SAY, "IT'S A DUTCH THING! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!," AND HE WOULD PROBABLY BE RIGHT.