The Vanishing

An ordinary town. A young woman disappears. A mother investigates. Closets full of ghosts. With this twisted thriller, German moviemaker Hans-Christian Schmid makes a sensational entrance into the world of European series.

On first glance, it's an inconspicuous small town near the German-Czech border with nothing much to offer its youths. So it is not surprising that despite the efforts of her mother Michelle, Janine and her friends Manu and Laura have apparently slid down the path of error. Having last been seen dazed and injured, Janine suddenly vanishes. A resolute single mother, Michelle places little weight on the creaky mechanisms of the local police. Deciding to pursue her own investigation, she opens door after door of secrets and lies. And the closer she gets to the truth, the clearer she realizes how deeply her daughter seems to have been involved in drug dealing - crystal meth in particular. Parents, teachers, even the police all respond with the appropriate expressions of shock as they face the truth which harbors more revelations yet. Uncovering a web of lies and secrets, kept under a tight lid by the whole community, Michelle is increasingly horrified by what she finds out about Janine – and herself…