Episode 248: THE VANISHING (1988)

Who would you be if not for destiny? What kind of person are you holding yourself back from becoming? George Sluizer’s psychological thriller is best known for its morbidity and shock ending, but on this episode of Trylove, we focus on the stuff in the middle. At its heart, THE VANISHING is two parallel tales of men driven to pursue a new version of themselves: An aggrieved ex-husband and a sociopath who takes a leap into the unthinkable. Watch THE VANISHING on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6BTffFzrHc Get tickets to “The Nightmarish Nineties” (October 2023 at the Trylon): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/the-nightmarish-nineties/ “Gothic, Dull and Sharp: George Sluizer’s The Vanishing” by MH Rower for Perisphere, the Trylon blog: https://www.perisphere.org/2023/10/07/gothic-dull-and-sharp-george-sluizers-the-vanishing/ “Golden Eggs Flying Through Space: The Horrific Dream Logic at the Heart of The Vanishing” by Sophie Durbin for Perisphere, the Trylon blog: https://www.perisphere.org/2023/10/07/golden-eggs-flying-through-space-the-horrific-dream-logic-at-the-heart-of-the-vanishing/ Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "Main Theme" from the THE VANISHING soundtrack by Henny Vrienten. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 248: THE VANISHING (1988) 1:50 - The episode actually starts 2:00 - Nevermind it’s Aaron’s Twitter Update 5:47 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 11:13 - A cold, bleak, comedic tone 23:30 - Form, mechanics, and its “matter-of-fact” framing 33:24 - What is Rex REALLY in pursuit of? 42:06 - The ending, nihilism, and humor in the face of death 52:50 - The Junk Drawer 59:34 - Good Grief, Give Me a GIF!