“The Vanishing” What is the true fear and anxiety left to the audience?

Suspense production used by director Hitchcock

This is a technique that director Alfred Hitchcock, known as the "god of suspense," often used in his own films. In Psycho (1960), there is a scene in which a man tries to sink a victim's car into a swamp to erase evidence of a vile crime. The car is shown to sink smoothly into the swamp, but just as the whole car is sinking, it stops moving. The roof of the car is clearly visible sticking out of the water. If it stays like this, the police will find it soon. Many viewers feel nervous at this point, and just like the man trying to sink the car, they can't help but wish for it to sink.

If you think about it, this is strange. A viewer with normal ethical standards would want the crime to be exposed and the culprit caught. Yet here, we are rooting for the actions of the person hiding the evidence. This makes us almost complicit. Even if the act itself is ethically questionable, as long as the film is skillfully directed and the characters are well-drawn, a certain portion of the audience will identify with the protagonist in the film.

The Vanishing (c) 1988, Argos Film, Golden Egg, Ingrid Productions, MGS Film, Movie Visions. Studiocanal All rights reserved.

For that to happen, "reality" is also necessary. What makes Raymond's plan in this film feel realistic is not only the detailed and specific depiction of his methods, but also the way he racks his brains to minimize the risks. Although Raymond fails many times, he is reluctant to commit illegal acts. Until he is sure that his plan will succeed, he never takes any action that might get him arrested. Even if the average viewer were to make a similar plan, it would likely not go as planned, and like Raymond, they would likely repeatedly make a fool of themselves by failing to commit an illegal act.

To achieve such a concrete and The Truth portrayal, the creator must have put himself in the shoes of the criminal and come up with a plan. Many psychological suspense films portray the horror of abnormal people from the perspective of normal people. However, this film is different. Rather, by taking the opposite approach, it draws not only the characters but also the audience into the world seen by the abnormal person.

What is the difference between abnormal and normal?