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...