Movie Review: ‘The Vanishing Of Sidney Hall’

Review by Bradley Smith

“I apologize for nothing. I cannot predict what reaction any particular individual may or may not have to something I have written. Nor can I live in fear or restraint anytime I write a word on a page.”

Be prepared for frequent time jumps, à la This Is Us, because The Vanishing of Sidney Hall jumps around quite a bit to primarily three points in the life of Sidney Hall (Logan Lerman; The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Butterfly Effect). For simplicity, I prefer to think of the periods as his past, present, and future; though it all seems to occupy a time gone by, but not long forgotten (typewriters and VHS and audio cassettes appear).

In the “past”, Sidney is a high school student with a strong desire to write and a potential love interest. In the “present”, Sidney is roughly in his mid-twenties not really enjoying his success after writing a best-selling novel, which is having a negative impact on his marriage. In the “future”, Sidney is a missing recluse in his late twenties or early thirties, seemingly in trouble with the law as a detective investigates a series of fires connected to his book. What guided his life in this direction? That is one of the mysteries that unfolds elegantly over the roughly two hour runtime.

To say much more about the plot would risk spoiling the tapestry of this artwork. The film touches on a lot of potentially sensitive subjects, including alcoholism, love, and suicide. It is overly melodramatic and heartbreaking at times, but there is also joy and laughter to be had. The actors are enjoyable, including Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler, making the characters believable and fairly well developed; at least enough for the story that’s being told.

Overall, I was riveted by this film. Some of the twists were predictable, but some caught me by surprise (without spoiling, the word “autobiographies”, in the films context, made me laugh out loud). The mysteries surrounding Sidney, whether you are able to correctly guess or not, are all unveiled by the time the credits roll. What’s in the box? Don’t panic, they will show you and explain the significance one way or another. You could try to solve the mysteries, or just enjoy the emotional rollercoaster ride.