Judging a film

This is not (yet) a complete overview of how this blog rates a film. It was triggered by a post in wonderful cinema and a difference of opinion on The Vanishing (Spoorloos) (1988).

This is a film that has a good rating in imdb and good reviews in wonderful cinema, with which I completely disagree. This page contains spoilers in order to be more specific and concise. My apologies for that but there was no other way to do it.

A disturbed, perverted mind, makes a game with a man who loves its girlfriend.  At the end the disturbed mind prevails over caring , life and love. One may say: the film has suspense, a good story, excellent acting, an unexpected ending, what more one might want from a good film? This however is judging a film as a standalone item.
If we make a step back, what has this film given to us, as people, as humans? Do we feel it helped us see our life in a better way? Did it leave us with the urge to do something better for us or the others? Please do not get me wrong here. There are films that are sad, pessimistic, uncomfortable to see, but they do leave you with a positive attitude towards life (e.g.: The Hunt).

Spoorloos is completely the opposite. It leaves the spectator with the (may be subconscious) essence that it is meaningless to fight in life against crime and injustice, since a bright disturbed mind may prevail over them. What does
this message mean for me, as a human? It is an insult.

So, judging the film from the context of life, it is a film I despise.

2 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI