![]() ![]() From hereon in, destructive and self-destructive tendencies intertwine, triggered by the delirium of greed and the fear of missing out on a lifetime of riches. Within a few hours, the lighthouse keepers are paid a visit by two seamen hailing from the North, played by the corpulent Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and the disconcerting Dane, Søren Malling. The man attacks young David who has run to his aid, and, the latter, in self-defence, ends up killing the unknown sailor. Until one night, a storm brings a small boat crashing to their shores, harbouring a castaway in possession of a chest. Once landed on the island, the three men quietly begin to get about their work. Donald is the least experienced of the trio, and the naivety and impulsiveness of youth are well expressed by this British actor who has only very recently revealed himself to international audiences in his lead role in the Netflix series, Sex Education. James Ducat, meanwhile, is a textbook, honest, family man who reluctantly leaves his family in order to earn some extra cash doing a job which takes him to a deserted rock of an island. ![]() The lines on the face of the actor-come-director tell us far more that the few, rare words that he manages to utter. Marshall is a rather austere-looking veteran and we later learn that he is mourning the recent, tragic loss of his wife and little girls. In the first few minutes of the film, Nyholm introduces us to the three main characters - Thomas Marshall (Mullan), James Ducat (Gerard Butler) and the young Donald McArthur ( Connor Swindells) - who are casting off for the island where, for the next six weeks, they will be responsible for the maintenance and general upkeep of the lighthouse. Now, Danish director Kristoffer Nyholm offers up his own, personal interpretation of events in The Vanishing, a dramatic reflection on the greed which gives rise to madness and murder. There have been many theories over the years, examined in works ranging from that of poet Wilson Wilfrid Gibson in his 1912 publication, Flannan Isle, to the recent book by Keith McCloskey, The Lighthouse. The Flannan Isles, where the story is set, are sadly famed for a mysterious event which took place in December 1900, where three lighthouse keepers vanished without trace. The title has all the makings of a kids’ adventure film and yet The Vanishing is actually a psychological thriller inspired by a true story, also featuring two actors - Peter Mullan and Gerard Butler (who also produced the film) - who are Scotsmen through and through. Three men on an island in the Outer Hebrides, a lighthouse, a mysterious chest replete with gold bullion, two pirates hell bent on getting their treasure back. ![]()
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