The Disappeared

I did not have much expectations about this movie, because my experience is that ghost stories set in modern urban settings, very seldom meet up to the standards of classic ghost stories set in old castles or manors and the like. But it turned out to be surprisingly good, if one takes it for what it is. The photo was bleak and the environments were depressing, but this was of course part of the story. You can also see it as a statement of the awful conditions many poor kids grow up in - even in our rich, civilized western countries. It was a little difficult to follow the plot, as one often did not know what was real, what was supernatural events (ghosts, premonitions, telepathy etc.), what was dreams or hallucinations etc.. But of course - that was also part of the story. The mystery in itself is engaging and exciting, and the solution to it is quite unexpected but still not contrived. Well worth watching!

Young Tom Ryan has gone missing. As expected, the effects on his father Jake (Greg Wise) and brother Matt (Harry Treadaway) have taken their toll. Jake has taken to drink, and Matthew appears to be suffering from mental instability, hearing Tom's voice on recordings when they aren't there and falling prey to wild paranoia. It doesn't help that the estate on which they live is not particularly sensitive to the situation: the local kids use Matt's fragile mental state as an excuse - not that they feel they need an excuse - to bully him. Director and co-writer Johnny Kevorkian has crafted a story that might have been told before, but in a way that never allows the attention to wander. The atmosphere of the run-down area, and the effect it has on the people living there, is powerfully conveyed. The mystery of Matt's absent mother is only hinted at, and used to fuel the lad's adverse feelings about his father; equally, Jake tries hard not to blame his son's negligence for young Tom's disappearance. The character of Amy is an adolescent boy's dream - funny, pretty and touchingly loyal to an outcast. Ros Leeming plays her as troubled and appealing - almost too good to be true. Her story, although signposted fairly early on, turns out to be the most tragically powerful of all. That the cause of the mystery is entirely physical is almost disappointing. With a growing unease because of a keenly felt spiritual possibility, events seemed to be looming toward a more ethereal villainy. However, maintaining situations within rationality keeps things real, and doesn't shy away from the mental toll the situation has taken on the sensitive Matt. This is an excellent film and highly recommended. My score is 8 out of 10.

I liked this film. It starts out a bit slow, almost like a dysfunctional family piece, but it quickly picks up speed after that. It has some very creepy moments but it is the overall atmosphere of the film that makes it so good. There are no huge special effects or anything, but you can see that the producers and director of this film have been really good at stretching their budget and making the most out of the little money they had. For instance all the music throughout the film is made by a real orchestra and not just a guy with a synth. It makes the film sound bigger. It's a good buy if you want a low-key, but quality chiller!

I was pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of this indie effort. From the opening scene the tension in the father/son relationship is palpable and they maintain the intensity w/o too much dialog to rely on. Kudos to both actors for very strong performances. The look and feel of this movie are spot on and the score is also an asset. The editing was a bit choppy and the film did seem to drag a little but there were no scenes that felt like they should have been left on the cutting room floor. I was confused at times and that added to the feeling that I just wanted them to get on with it, so to speak. Where the effort falls short is in the ending. It does build to a point and then the writing fails the actors. The last 20 minutes are cliché ridden and lack any originality. Come on, the pedophile who isn't who he says he is and oh yeah, by the way, he also happens to wear his collar backwards? The communications with dead people cross a line that Sixth Sense never did. We watch as the murderer has his head bashed in (4 violent blows) with a rather large stone and he disappears before the police arrive. It feels like they tried to address all the misdirections and somehow made things more confusing. I must say that the ending left a very bad taste in my mouth. This is sad mostly because of the very solid effort that preceded it. The writers and production staff deserve high marks for making a film that came so very close to being something special but in the end(literally) fell short. One final comment about the cast. What made this movie good were the performances from top to bottom. They all deserve praise and applause fr their efforts.

After a tragic accident, and a stay at mental health unit, Matthew returns to his home with his father, and the disappearance of his brother still looming over them. Matthew watches a few tapes of appeals and soon, starts to hear his brother calling him and sees I'm from afar. He appeals to his father, but he seems to blame him for his brothers disappearance, after all, he was supposed to be looking after him, but had a party and let him go to the playground. So Matthew is trying to rebuild his life, and although his friends and his councillor support him, he cannot let go. And neither can his brother....... It's really well acted, and the lead is phenomenal, as is the actor playing his father. And although nothing really happens throughout the film to shock, the build up and the brooding atmosphere of the tower block keeps you interested. The best aspect of the film is the relay ship between Matthew and his father. Bothe are really to blame for the boys disappearance, but both know this and have ammunition for one another. The father is the type with a short temper, and he at times seems like he is going to explode. The final third lets the side down a little though, going for the old serial killer routine and although some of the twists are really obvious from the start (Amy for one is the most obvious) it does try to treat the viewer as intelligent being rather than a gore hound. The serial killer side of the film was hopefully just for absolution for the missing boy, but it really does feel out of place here. But other than that, it's an amazing piece of cinema with two wonderful performances from the two leads.

Though this movie was long, it was not uneventful. Harry Treadaway offered an outstanding performance which carried the rest of the cast in this haunting drama about a family grieving over the disappearance of a family member. There were elements of the movie The Sixth Sense, in that the character Matthew Ryan frequently saw and interacted with the deceased. His accounts were dismissed as delusional, which cast a shadow of doubt over the mental stability of this character. As the story unfolds it offers a unique twist on a serial killer while throwing a few weak but effective red herrings as to who the killer was. In the end I was delighted mostly from the performance of harry Treadaway, unknown to me until now, and secondly the bleak scenery which provided a very effective backdrop.

Quite enjoyed this great Brit film. Although there are Horror elements, I did not find them to be scary or creepy enough for my high standards of Horror definition. That said, there are definitely some moments that are a bit creepy but there is so much more going on in this film than silly "BOO!" moments. A refreshing storyline that explores much more than shown simply in the trailer (missing, possible dead child), there are instances of bullying, single-parent family dynamics, the question of faith, the depravity and sadness of those in mental institutions, possible mental illness...this film has a bit of it all. You will be questioning different people and situations throughout the film which I find particularly engaging and enticing in Thrillers that we do not always get to see. Watching it a second time is recommended...sometimes we miss certain important elements. The backdrop of the film's location reminded me of industrial Manchester and the people live in the area (common amongst London or other urban suburbs). The ending was not quite what I expected, but that is neither good nor bad. I can't say much more without revealing "spoilers"... Definitely worth watching.

I would describe The Disappeared less as a horror and more an exploration of how many genre tropes can be aimed for and missed by so wide a margin. If you take this film as the latter, then you'll enjoy it as much as you would Green Lantern. If you're looking for a thrilling psychological horror ghost story, then I'm sorry to disappoint you but this isn't your movie. What starts as an interesting ghost story quickly develops into a humdrum ghost story, into a strung- out one liner from Friends. Ever seen the episode where Joey says the latest film he will appear in must be good because it contains the line "She's been deeeeaaad for ten yeeeaaaars"? The Disappeared is a horror that feels as if such a twist is clever. It isn't. All in all, this film is predictable, poorly written, and I can safely say that I didn't care about any of the underdeveloped characters. I can't see why it's garnered so many good reviews...well, weirder things have happened, such as every pointless and nonsensical plot 'twist' in The Disappeared. All in all, don't watch it. It's one of, if not the worst, movie I have ever had the misfortune of seeing.

This movie was a pleasant surprise: it's creepy, has a good pace and is well acted. Why they advertise this as a horror movie is beyond me, it's more a supernatural thriller, like (for instance) Dragonfly is; like that one it's about dead people who try to communicate with the living, to pass on an important message. The whole project impresses as low-budgeted, but they made that cleverly work in favor of the movie, the dreadful and desolate surroundings of the suburban apartment-buildings adding up to the needed surreal atmosphere. Young Harry Treadaway gives a fine and convincing performance as the traumatized and guilt-ridden Matthew, who feels responsible for his little brothers disappearance one evening when he was having a booze and pot party in his room with friends and more or less forgot about his brother playing alone outside. Treadaways acting is impressive: very restrained and subtle and with a surprising maturity. Gregg Wise plays the father with equal perfection, the awkward and strained relationship between the two of them gets palpable in an almost claustrophobic way. My only slight criticism is more general in respect to this kind of films: I always wonder why dead people are supposed to follow such elaborate and cryptic schemes to deliver an important message - here poor Matthew has to spend a whole movie trying to decipher all these weird goings-on! And they are really stretching the limits of credibility, even for a supernatural thriller. I mean: spending several days with a girlfriend (and making out with her!), who afterwards turns out to be already dead?!? But well, it sort of comes with this kind of territory. And I didn't like this movie any less for it.

The Disappeared is directed by Johnny Kevorkian who also co-writes the screenplay with Neil Murphy. It stars Harry Treadaway, Greg Wise, Alex Jennings, Tom Felton, Finlay Robertson, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Ros Leeming. Music is by Ilan Eshkeri and cinematography by Diego Rodriguez. After suffering a mental breakdown following the disappearance of his younger brother whilst in his care, Matthew Ryan (Treadaway) is released from the hospital but finds he is haunted by visions and voices of his missing brother. Mental problem or something supernatural. Johnny Kevorkian's debut full length feature is a potent piece of British psychological horror. Undeniably on the surface the plot contains familiar horror tropes seen in big budgeted movies of the past, but Kevorkian and his cast strip the gloss away to reveal a disturbingly raw exposé of grief and mental trauma. The back drop is a dank and oppressive housing estate near the docklands, the colours washed out, the imagery and shadowy photography producing a creepy atmosphere befitting the thematics rumbling away in the story. The sound mix is brilliantly jarring, everything is well constructed to land us viewers firmly into the whirlwind of psychological discord that pervades the picture. The narrative isn't solely intent on solving the mystery of a missing child, itself a desperately sad and horrific centre point of the story, there's carefully inserted devices involving parental abuse, alcoholism, bullying, mental health care and suicide. It's undoubtedly miserable, but life so often is for many, and Kevorkian slow burns his story for maximum impact. The cast are led superbly by young Treadaway, appropriately looking like a young Ian Curtis, he hits all the right emotional beats without histrionics. It is a character that so easily could have been over played, making a mockery of the mental health issue, but Treadaway nails it. He's backed by an anguished turn from Wise as his father, while Felton, Leeming and Jennings skilfully act within the tonal requirements. I can't say the finale is a complete success, where the revelation stretches out too far into the supernatural. It would have been far better to keep it humanistic, since everything prior operated on those terms, but it doesn't kill the film. This remains a criminally under valued and under seen gem of low budget British horror. Derivative be damned, this has far more going for it to be tagged as that. 9/10