80s Movie Review - Spoorloos

Director: George Sluizer
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 1988
Starring: Gene Bervoets, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus

Description: Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna ter Steege), a couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia goes missing. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.  

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 6: A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Review: Saskia and Rex are on vacation. In the car, Saskia tells him she has a recurring nightmare, about her being trapped in a golden egg and must love forever alone in darkness. The book this movie is based on is called “The Golden Egg” by author Tim Krabbé and it has a deeper meaning, which you will learn at the end of the film.

While on the road, Rex and Saskia stop at a service station. Saskia goes inside to get both of them something to drink, but she never returns. Rex is left with a million questions. After 3 years, he starts receiving letters.

“Spoorloos” is one of our Dutch national film treasures, that not many people seem to talk about. Or probably seem to remember. It had a limited budget, but this movie proofs that you don’t need it. A good story and solid performances are often enough. I was invested in this movie from start to finish and loved the symbolism the golden egg represents. The movie was remade in the US in 1993, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock, as “The Vanishing” (also the English title for the Ditch version), which I also really loved. But for once, the Dutch version is the better one here. Directed by George Sluizer as well, but not loved by athor Tim Krabbé.

Rating: 4/ 5

What's in a Movie Year - 1988

Taking a look at the year 1988, picking my 10 favorite movies from that year in random order.

My Neighbor Totoro
The now classic animation was the international break for director Hayao Miyazaki, who is probably the best and most well-known Japanese anime director. Unlike modern day anime, “My Neighbor Totoro” was drawn by hand, frame by frame, mostly by Miyazaki himself. It’s about two young girls who move to the countryside to be closer to their hospitalized mother. There they come in contact with spirits, called Totoros. Fun fact: there is no villain in this film.

Die Hard
New York cop John McClane travels to Los Angeles on Christmas, to visit his wife at work. A group of terrorists have taken all the employees hostage and McClane take matters in his own hands to deal with the gang. Bruce Willis, in his most memorable action role, is at his best as the cynical and lonely anti-hero. The start of many sequels.

Rain Man
After the death of his father, yuppie Charlie ‘kidnaps’ his older brother, the autistic Raymond. First he wants to get his part of the inheritance from Raymond, but during a cross-country trip with him Charlie realizes that money might not be as important as family. Dustin Hoffman plays one of his best roles in “Rain Man”, with great support from Tom Cruise. Hoffman portrays Raymond as a seemingly helpless man who also has the amazing ability to store loads of knowledge.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Animation meets live-action. “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” is a highlight in animation and film. Bob Hoskins plays private detective Eddie Valiant, who has to investigate a murder and happens to meet innocent cartoon character Roger Rabbit. A film I’ve seen so many times as a kid and an adult. Ah, the wonderful world of film.

Beetlejuice
After Adam and Barbara die, they become ghosts. They still live in their old house, but it’s being sold to the Deetzes who happen to be the new unpleasant inhabitants. Adam and Barb are trying to scare them away, but they are simply to kind. So they call the help of Beetlejuice. It’s one of Tim Burton’s earlier films and has that great gothic style he is known for. Michael Keaton plays the titular character, but isn’t in it as much as you might think. His performance is great.

Big
Tom Hanks is on a roll here as Josh, a twelve-year-old boy who wishes he was big and later wakes up as a thirty-something man. He only looks like an adult, because emotionally he is still twelve. The film is great because of Tom Hanks, who shines. And it’s one of his most memorable performance to date.

Gorillas in the Mist
An adaptation of the life of controversial gorilla-expert Dian Fossey, who establishes some sort of communication between her and the gorillas in Rwanda. It’s an inspirational film, a well-told story and a beautiful subdued performance by Sigourney Weaver.

Mississippi Burning
In the summer of 1964, three members of the civil rights movement were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, who were helped by local police officers. This notorious case is the inspiration for “Mississippi Burning”. Two FBI-agents investigate the case, with obstruction from the locals. It’s an engaging and gripping thriller, with excellent performances by Gene Hackman, Frances McDormand and Willem Dafoe.

Dangerous Liaisons
France, right before the revolution. To take revenge on an old flame, Marquise the Merteuil asks Vicomte de Valmont to seduce her ex-lover’s new innocent fiancée. When he gets proof of the seduction, he will be rewarded. Valmont agrees, but is more interested in Madame de Tourvel. It’s a very well-adapted film of the 1782 novel. It has a good script, beautiful set pieces and costumes and intriguing performances by John Malkovich, Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Spoorloos (The Vanishing)
A classic from my country The Netherlands, based on novel by Tim Krabbé. A young couple travels to France, when they get car trouble. At the gas station the wife disappears. Five years later director George Sluizer remade his own movie with American actors, but this is the one that you will remember. One of the finest pieces in Dutch cinema.

Five to Watch - Movies About Missing Persons

“Searching” is in theaters now and I’m going to see it myself tonight. So this brought me to this theme. I selected five films, where people are reported missing, that I think are worth watching or are somehow overlooked

In the Valley of Elah
A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son’s disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq. The movies does an excellent job of showing that post-traumatic stress syndrome is not an oddity, but rather a growing problem in an army of young men whose job requires to be quick on the trigger. The movie belongs to Tommy Lee Jones, as the grieving father. And Charlize Theron as the determined detective. Both turn in outstanding performances. Jones shines, playing a man who has spent his life holding in his emotions and can’t change now, even as his world is falling apart. Theron radiates strength as a woman trying to survive in a sexist police department where all her male colleagues are certain she slept her way into her detective’s job.

Changeling
A grief-stricken mother takes on the LAPD to her own detriment when it tries to pass off an obvious imposter as her missing child. It’s a terrific story based on true events, has outstanding performances and is very well directed by Clint Eastwood. Angelina Jolie is great as her character fights, what seems to be at first a lost fight, for her son in a world vontrolled by men.

The Vanishing (Spoorloos)
Dutch couple, Rex and Saskia, stop at a service station to refuel. Saskia never returns. Three years later, Rex’s obsessice quest to find her is taken to unprecedented mania, when he starts to receive taunting letters from her abductor. The cat-and-mouse game between the two men ratchets up unbearable tension. There is also an American version, with Kiefer Sutherland, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges, but it’s not as good as the Dutch version.

Breakdown
A man searches for his missing wife, after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert. It’s a great thriller that keeps you second guessing until the end. And it’s fast paced. Very much underrated.

The Texas Killing Fields
In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective teams up with a cop from New York City to investigate a series of unsolved murders. This film might never find its audience, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great film. I did like it, a lot. And think it’s underrated and much overlooked as well. I loved Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in this film.