REVIEW: ‘Vanished Into The Night’ Is Gone And Easily Forgotten

Vanished Into the Night (Svaniti Nella Nott) reminds us why divorces are such a minefield. A remake of the Spanish thriller 7th Floor (Séptimo), the film stars Riccardo Scamarcio, Annabelle Wallis, and Massimiliano Gallo. Director Renato De Maria and writer Luca Infascelli aim to tackle the natural chaos of divorce with mixed success.

Vanished Into the Night starts with a brief flash of a happier familial scene. Pietro (Riccardo Scamarcio) and Elena (Annabelle Wallis) are swimming with their children, and things take a turn when the children decide to play hide-and-seek. It is a clear nod to the things that will come.

The mood and setting then shift to a tense exchange between the two and their lawyers in an office. Elena’s loss of identity and self-worth, coupled with her growing resentment towards Pietro’s gambling issues throughout their marriage, has culminated in their desire to separate.

Despite the lack of success in this meeting, things seem awkward yet amicable between the two. Pietro gets custody of the children for the night. With Elena temporarily out of the picture, De Maria and Infascelli use this opportunity to flesh out Pietro. An encounter with his old friend, Nico (Massimiliano Gallo), hints at a past Pietro longs to leave behind. Debtors arrive at Pietro’s door, adding more fuel to the fire surrounding his gambling addiction. However, all of this pales in comparison to when Pietro discovers that his children are missing.

From this moment onward, Scamarcio embodies the concerned father figure Pietro needs to be. As the film’s everyman, he naturally becomes the one to root for in Vanished Into the Night. Small hints here and there paint a picture of who Pietro might be, but little else is done with the character’s development. Pietro moves from point A to point B, the plot pushing forward with little breathing time to dive deep beneath the surface.

A plot twist breathes some life into Vanished Into the Night and facilitates questions. This reveal further highlights how little depth our main characters are given. With so much emphasis on the forward-moving plot, the characters fall to the wayside. This twist begs the question of how much patience De Maria and Infascelli expect from their audience. It opens up all sorts of ignored possibilities.

Scamarcio’s performance saves the character and film from being completely washed. He creates levels even within Pietro’s silence, giving viewers something to grasp. As his counterpart, Annabelle Wallis fails to do much to add variety to her Elena. Insufficient direction plays a part in this as well. All Wallis and De Maria can muster with Elena is a one-note, shrill wife. It’s a shame since Wallis is a more than capable actress.

The cinematography adds a gloss and clean look to this thriller. There are some beautiful shots and great use of color to paint Pietro’s inner headspace. A flashback sequence halfway through proves to be a great example. Reflecting on happier times, the shot is illuminated in bright sunshine. Pietro smiles happily with his wife and children. A quick cut to nighttime alone in the open sea illustrates how different his life is now—quite literally, a day and night difference.

Vanished Into The Night does indeed vanish amidst a sea of more capable and more gripping crime thriller fare. This tight and well-paced paint-by-numbers affair gives it at least something to stand on. However, this film would be easily forgotten if it were not for Riccardo Scamarcio’s efforts to add something to an otherwise generic character. And even then, that’s a stretch.

Vanished Into The Night is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.