Netflixis currently streaming an exciting newforeign-language thriller. Directed by Renato de Maria and starring Riccardo Scamarcio as well as multilingual English actress Annabelle Wallis,Vanished into the Night(original title:Svaniti Nella Notte) follows a couple whose children are kidnapped just as they are going through a divorce. They must join forces to figure out what is going on and get their children back, tangled in ransom demands, drug deals, and a strange mystery shrouding the town itself.
Vanish into the Night Features an Effective Thriller Plot
Even if It’s Something We’ve Seen Before
Vanished into the Nightuses a seen-before but compelling premise: a couple, American psychiatrist Elena and her former Italian lover for whom she left her country, Pietro, are divorcing. Fighting over custody, Pietro moves with their two children into an old large house he has always dreamed of renovating in the seaside town of Puglia. But soon after their arrival,the children disappear without a tracein the middle of the night. Despaired and out of ideas, Pietro reaches out to Elena, who is furious at him and blames him for the vanishing. But soon, the couple receives a call for ransom: the childrenhave been kidnapped, and the couple must give them 150,000 euros within 24 hours.
If You Don’t Like Saltburn, Watch This Brilliant Italian Movie Instead
Saltburn can feel like a pretty vague critique of the bourgeoisie at times, something that Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem addresses with refinement.
Elena is sure that the kidnapping was done by the loan sharks with whom Pietro went into debt to repair the house. But no matter the reason, they must come up with the money. Reluctantly, Pietro reaches out to an old friend from his dark past, a drug dealer named Nicola. Nicola promises to give him the money, but in exchange for one thing: Pietro, who has his own boat, willhave to retrieve drugson a small island between Italy and Greece. Pietro accepts. But when he returns to Puglio, nothing is how it was, and, on top of the anxiousness of getting his kids back, Pietro must now deal with the strange behavior of the townspeople, including his own wife.
Vanished into the Night Was Made With Competent Direction
The Cinematography Is Also Noteworthy
The film has a variety of scenes taking place during the night, if not the majority. It is well-known to movie fans thatscenes can easily look too dark, and one cannot see anything. However,Vanished into the Nightis clever in its choices: scenes are never entirely black; they are dark blue, yellow, and gray — viewers never miss the action despite the darker color palette. The lighting work, for the most part, is incredible. The dark atmosphere lends to the chilling mood the film strives for, full of mystery and suspense.
The other feature of this film is its use of long shots. There are several overhead shots of the fixer-upper house at different parts of the movie,underlining its importance in the storytellingand its immobility in all that takes place around and inside it. It also gives the constant impression that someone is watching. Another long shot takes place when Pietro sails to the island where the drug deal will take place. The boat is traversing the quiet sea horizontally, from right to left,contrary to traditional filmmaking codes, indicating that he is doing something wrong that will have dire consequences. Overall,this choice of long shots reinforces Pietro’s loneliness, estranged from his wife, and missing his children.
The Greatest Italian Films of the 20th Century
The 20th century, in particular, signified a pivotal and transformative period for Italy’s film industry.
Vanished into the Night, despite its Rotten Tomatoes score, may be worth a watch on Netflix if you’re looking for a short thriller with an interesting plot. Despite many twists and turns, the plot does not feel crowded. On top of that, the serviceable acting (though there is a more jarring English dub) and artistic but approachable cinematography smartly convey feelings of fear, anxiousness, and urgency, and the audience can easily get swallowed into the film. Whileforeign language filmsrarely make it out of their target countries, this one has reached international audiences.Vanished into the Nightis streaming onNetflix.
