DISAPPEARANCE (Verdwijnen) CWC D: Boudewijn Koole. Netherlands/Norway. 92 min. Sep 12, 9:30 pm, Scotiabank 13 Sep 14, 8:45 am, TIFF Bell Lightbox 3 Sep 17, 9:45 pm, Scotiabank 11. Rating: NN
In this chilly family drama, nature is used to express emotions and photography logs the passage of time, while the characters don’t have much to say. Rifka Lodeizen is fine as a photojournalist visiting her distant mother (Elsie de Brauw) in a remote, snow-covered Norwegian landscape. She’s hoping to warm up a relationship that doesn’t seem to exist.
Things remain mysterious as details about their prickly family dynamic slowly slip in, a tactic that gets ever more frustrating when you realize how basic it all is. Director Koole shows off pristine imagery and lush sound design, but he doesn’t have much to hang it on.