Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- brooding
- romantic
- quiet evening
- literary film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film handsomely shot but vapid, pretentious, and emotionally grating, despite some praise for supporting performances and cinematography.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sidney’s disappearance is investigated through distinct periods of his adolescence, literary success, and later search.
Sidney’s daring writing and bestselling novel reshape his relationships and public identity.
Sidney’s rise from gifted student to internationally successful novelist is paired with personal disintegration.
Critics specifically praised the cinematography, which gives the film an elegant, somber visual surface.
Films like The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, and why
The Words
literary ambition, troubled artists, and a nonlinear mystery structure
The End of the Tour
melancholic relationship drama centered on authorship, memory, and artistic identity
The Limey
enigmatic disappearance, fragmented chronology, and emotionally fraught character study
Atonement
romantic drama shaped by literary ambition, regret, and shifting perspectives
Movie Details
- Director
- Shawn Christensen
- Release Date
- 2018-03-02
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (291)
Cast
- Logan Lerman
- Elle Fanning
- Kyle Chandler
- Michelle Monaghan
- Blake Jenner
- Nathan Lane
- Margaret Qualley
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
- Tim Blake Nelson
- Janina Gavankar
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Vanishing of Sidney Hall about?
- A gifted young novelist’s meteoric success and mysterious disappearance unravel into a fractured meditation on love, authorship, and self-destruction.
- What is The Vanishing of Sidney Hall like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Vanishing of Sidney Hall as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Vanishing of Sidney Hall violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Vanishing of Sidney Hall as mild.
- What did critics think of The Vanishing of Sidney Hall?
- Critics broadly found the film handsomely shot but vapid, pretentious, and emotionally grating, despite some praise for supporting performances and cinematography.
- Which films are like The Vanishing of Sidney Hall?
- Films with a similar feel include The Words, The End of the Tour, The Limey, and Atonement.
- How long is The Vanishing of Sidney Hall?
- The Vanishing of Sidney Hall runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Vanishing of Sidney Hall?
- In United States, The Vanishing of Sidney Hall is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
