Unforgettable ending, but what makes a truly great twist-film is when the scenes before it are strong enough to distract from the surprise and hold up on their own. The Vanishing is always engaging, but it’s mostly because of the momentum of its mystery, not for the scenes it takes to get there. I could see a lot of this not being as gripping on a rewatch because of that. Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu is so excellent that he likely defines any exceptions.