Vanished into the Night
| Vanished into the Night | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Renato De Maria |
| Screenplay by | Luca Infascelli Francesca Marciano |
| Produced by | Giacomo Durzi Roberto Sessa |
| Starring | Riccardo Scamarcio Annabelle Wallis |
| Cinematography | Daniele Massaccesi |
| Edited by | Cristiano Travaglioli |
| Music by | Jeff Russo |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 1h 32m |
| Languages | Italian, English |
Vanished into the Night (Italian: Svaniti nella notte) is an Italian thriller film directed by Renato De Maria and starring Riccardo Scamarcio and Annabelle Wallis.[1][2]
When their children disappear into thin air, two parents are told to come up with a 150,000 euros ransom and will do anything to bring them back.
The film was released online on July 11, 2024.
Plot
[edit]Pietro Torre and Elena Walgren are in the process of seemingly going through an amicable divorce and custody battle. As she's a psychotherapist who doesn't have an Italian level high enough to work in Bari, she is a full-time mother to Bianca and Giovanni. In their divorce negotiations, both bring up major problems, Pietro with gambling debt and Elena with prescription medication abuse.
Pietro takes the children for the weekend while Elena is meant to be away. The exes seem to be amicable, but they have some issues. He takes them on his boat and they run into Nicola, who he's uncomfortable his kids wanting to interact with.
Arriving to his country house, Pietro comes face-to-face with his creditor Santo. As he owes 250,000 euros, he is asked to sign over the property in lieu of the payment, but Pietro refuses and asks for more time. That evening, after he'd put them to sleep in a far off room, Giovanni comes looking for him as he fears monsters. After Pietro gets him back to sleep he finishes watching the football match, then he discovers the kids are gone.
Elena calls as promised to say goodnight to the kids, so Pietro has to tell her they've disappeared. A ransom call comes, demanding 150,000 euros. Elena has arrived, and she insists he ask Nico for help, as he's his wealthy childhood friend. Nico will give him the money by the morning only if Pietro goes in his boat to Greece and complete a transaction for him.
Pietro takes his boat at night to a small island's restaurant, where he must wait until he gets approached. He stays the whole evening shift until finally he's given a note to head back. As Pietro leaves, two men on jet skis board his boat with a duffle bag. After he orally confirms receipt of the bag, the nervous armed men wave their guns in his face until the cryptocurrency payment is complete.
On his return to Italy, Pietro is forced to seek help from the coast guard. He hides the duffle bag before they board. They get the motor running, but as it isn't fully functioning, it cannot make it back to Bari. As soon as they hit land, Pietro hurries off to catch a bus to Bari with the bag. At Nico's, as he's slow to get the cash, the impatient Pietro punches him, but he gets the money.
Rushing to Elena's, Pietro finds the kids safe and sound, initially not remembering that had been having a sleepover at his place. Elena comes in, reacting as if she has no idea about the drug run Nico had sent him on to pay the ransom. Insisting Pietro is acting crazy, she threatens to call the police if he doesn't leave.
As he's heading back his country farm, Pietro receives a recording Elena made of his drug run to Greece, using it to ensure he authorizes her taking Bianca and Giovanni to New York. Finding his kids at their riding lesson, they finally remember some details of having stayed in his house. Back at his house, he finds a discarded medication wrapper. Pietro hurries to Elena's apartment and the guard lets him in under the guise of seeking a forgotten passport. Finding the evidence he was seeing, Elena's Oxycodone missing a corner, he pieces together what happened.
Meeting Elena and the kids at the airport, Pietro takes her aside and makes her realize he knows she drugged their kids and took them herself as he'd watched the match on TV. So he insists she fly alone, as otherwise he'll have the children drug tested to get her in trouble. Elena confesses, but blames him for being inflexible over custody.
Pietro takes the kids to the house. As they horse around in the living room, he calls Santo to collect the 150,000, then sees Elena outside.
Cast
[edit]- Riccardo Scamarcio as Pietro
- Annabelle Wallis as Elena
- Massimiliano Gallo as Nicola
- Gaia Coletti as Bianca
- Lorenzo Ferrante as Giovanni
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "'Vanished into the Night' ending, explained: Who kidnapped Pietro and Elena's kids?". TODAY.com. 2024-07-12. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "'Vanished Into the Night' Netflix Movie Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Vanished into the Night". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
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