The Vanishing

A thriller with a genre twist from Algerian filmmaker Karim Moussaoui, who made his breakthrough with the film UNTIL THE BIRDS RETURN in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

Reda is a young, privileged man in his twenties who still lives at home with his wealthy parents in Algiers, along with his older brother. Their father holds a high-ranking position in the country's largest party and rules both his political career and household with an iron fist. When he secures Reda a position at the party office and arranges a marriage with a carefully chosen partner, Reda complies without resistance.

But when his brother defies their father and moves out, while their father also faces political challenges, everything begins to unravel. Reda's identity and self-image are thrown into turmoil – with catastrophic consequences.

A well-crafted thriller with strong performances that explores how a relentless and domineering father figure can inflict deep trauma on a young mind.

Lasse Skagen

Director

Karim Moussaoui (b. 1976) is an Algerian filmmaker. He directed his first short film, Ce qu'on doit faire (What We Have to Do), in 2006 and his first feature film, Until the Birds Return, in 2017. The Vanishing (2024) is his latest feature film.

This film is part of