The Vanishing of Sidney Hall

After reading some poor reviews about this film I felt compelled to come to imdb and write a review. I watched this film last night and thought one thing throughout: brilliant. I will not go into too much detail but the way the story unravels is rather unique and the acting is very strong all around. I thoroughly enjoyed the screenplay and cannot remember when a film caught me this off guard. I laughed and even got choked up at parts of this film. It just pulls you in from the get go. It was a great change of pace from the rest of the garbage being released these days.

The story is gripping, the acting is flawless, the humour is funny, the ending is worth the wait, but... the transitions between the main character's life periods are confusing, especially between adolescence and young adulthood, if you are not paying close attention. In addition, you are not sure what the main character is feeling and you remain a spectator throughout. A good film though, I am glad to have seen it.

I thought the first half was very slow and boring, but somehow still intriguing.

The ending completely stunned me though and completely changed my opinion of this film.

This character story isn't quite the mystery that I was expecting from the title. Sidney Hall, famous writer, willingly disappears, and it's a character piece about why and how. It's slow at times with some great dramatic beats, but overall, I found the whole thing to be a bit too sad to be enjoyable. Thoughtful filmmaking though.

If you are tired of all the blue screen, green screen super female hoopla. Watch this real movie that will give you a ride & make you have some conscious thoughts about life, love, happiness & tragedy. A well written & acted story from start to finish. No spoilers here. The editing was amazing as it would give you a piece that kept you wanting more faster. You have to watch, listen & give your attention to a deserving story movie! Relax, pause & reflect upon things to look forward to as you enjoy your 2 hours of escape into Sidney Hall's life. Enjoy