A wooden chest of gold and greed initiates a chain of events leading to the disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers.
Intense, dark, suspenseful, unpredictable, and superb performances! The Vanishing becomes a thrilling treat because it’s based on the mystery of the Flannan Isles’ actual lighthouse keepers and their controversial logbooks. The film’s beauty is that even though you know what will happen in the end (the title and tagline imply it), it makes you want to know the speculation of what will become of them. The “when” and “how” alone intensify the suspense and overshadow what we think is obvious. Furthermore, the shockingly realistic performances make you want the resolution delayed so you can see more of Peter Mullan, Gerald Butler, and Connor Swindells on screen. Special mention deserves the editor Morten Højbjerg, who knows when to cut and, more importantly, where not to. His editing focuses on the performances and lets the shot “breathe” enough so you can get the full experience of the thespians. My only objection is the ending, which, I believe I speak for all of us when I say we were really looking forward to it. I found it anticlimactic when so much could have been done with it. Even though the script is the most obvious candidate to take the fall here, director Kristoffer Nyholm should have been the one to expand further and give the film the open ending it deserves. Unfortunately, this is not the case, but that’s what I think. Maybe you’ll feel otherwise.
Maybe we’ll never find out what became of them 120+ years ago, but upon watching it, we can tell with certainty that films like this showcase Butler’s true talent without having to water down his striking Scottish accent. Hollywood should have utilised his skills more in films like this than in typical cash cows. Having said that, Greenland (2020) was realistically terrifying and he and Morena Baccarin were excellent leads. The same applies to Mullan, whose versatility is undeniable – see Ozark (2017) – and he’s breathtaking in everything he’s in.
Definitely worth the shot for an intriguing night full of mystery and a show-don’t-tell lesson that everything comes with a price.
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