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The Vanishing World (1987) movie poster

Timeline

The Vanishing World (1987) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1987 · 100 mins · Serbo-Croatian
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Directed by
Petar Lalović
Starring
Petar Kralj

Being the thirteenth piglet means rejection: a sow with twelve teats cannot nurse the extra newborn, called Gile Baksuz, and most such piglets die. The film portrays this harsh natural reality as a tender love story, when the abandoned piglet finds refuge with a roe deer and her fawn, who care for him.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (13)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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13 events in order · contains spoilers

The Vanishing World Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Vanishing World (1987) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Rex and Saskia's road trip begins

    A young Dutch couple travels through France on holiday, sharing a close bond as they drive. Their car eventually runs out of petrol at a rest area, forcing them to pause and reassess. In the moment, they bury two coins at the base of a tree as a symbol of their romance.

    When
    early in the trip
    Where
    France (rest area)
  2. Saskia's recurring dream

    Saskia describes a recurring dream of drifting through space in a golden egg, a motif that haunts the narrative. She mentions that in the latest dream an egg containing another person appeared, and that the collision of two eggs would signify the end of something. The dream establishes a symbolic tone for the mystery ahead.

    When
    during the drive
    Where
    car
  3. Saskia disappears at the petrol station

    Saskia leaves the car to buy drinks at the petrol station and never returns. Rex searches frantically for her, overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty. The disappearance marks the start of a long, painful search for the truth.

    When
    shortly after the coin burial
    Where
    Rest area petrol station
  4. Raymond's secret abduction plans begin

    Raymond, a wealthy man, secretly plots to abduct a woman. He buys an isolated house and practices with chloroform, rehearsing methods to lure a victim into his car. His meticulous preparation hints at the chilling crime to come.

    When
    before Saskia's disappearance
    Where
    Raymond's isolated house
  5. Failed attempts and new method

    Raymond's initial attempts at abduction fail, leading him to adopt a more deceptive approach. He poses as an injured motorist and travels to the rest area out of town, planning to select and ambush a victim there without recognition.

    When
    before the main events
    Where
    rest area out of town
  6. Three years later: Rex's search continues

    Three years pass and Rex remains determined to find Saskia, clinging to hope. He receives postcards inviting him to meet the kidnapper at a cafe in Nîmes, but the rendezvous never materializes, deepening the mystery of Saskia's fate.

    When
    three years after Saskia's disappearance
    Where
    Nîmes (cafe) and Rex's locale
  7. Lieneke joins the search and obsesses

    Rex's new girlfriend, Lieneke, reluctantly helps in the search for Saskia. As Rex becomes more obsessed, their relationship strains and eventually ends when she leaves him, unable to cope with his fixation.

    When
    during the search
    Where
    various locations
  8. Rex's dream mirrors Saskia's fate

    Rex experiences a dream in which he is trapped inside a golden egg, echoing Saskia's earlier dream. The recurring dream intensifies his fixation and foreshadows the danger surrounding both of them.

    When
    after the cafe postcard period
    Where
    various
  9. Public appeal for the truth

    Rex makes a televised public appeal, insisting that he only wants to know what happened to Saskia. The emotional plea broadens the audience's sense of his desperation and determination.

    When
    after Lieneke leaves
    Where
    television studio
  10. Confrontation and confession

    Raymond confronts Rex and admits to the kidnapping, offering to reveal what happened if Rex accompanies him. He discusses his unsettling belief that conscience is tested through the choice to act on evil.

    When
    before the abduction test
    Where
    unknown location (Raymond's vicinity)
  11. The ride to the rest area turns into a trap

    Raymond drives Rex toward the rest area, dismissing Rex's threats of police involvement as there is no apparent evidence. He drugs Rex by pouring a cup of coffee laced with sedatives, turning the journey into a dangerous test.

    When
    during the abduction
    Where
    rest area
  12. Rex wakes buried alive

    Rex drinks the drugged coffee and awakens to find himself buried in a box underground. Nearby, the buried coins from years earlier surface as a grim reminder of the two disappearances and the twisted game at play.

    When
    immediately after the drugging
    Where
    underground box near the rest area
  13. Raymond's domestic life and a chilling newspaper clue

    Back at his country home, Raymond relaxes with his wife and children, seemingly unbothered by the pursuit. A newspaper in his car carries a headline about the double disappearance of Saskia and Rex, depicting their portraits in two egg-shaped ovals, hinting at the predator's perspective.

    When
    after Rex's disappearance
    Where
    Raymond's country home

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:36

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Timeline questions answered

The Vanishing World Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Vanishing World (1987): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Raymond kidnap women?

Raymond is a wealthy family man who believes he lacks a conscience. He sees himself as capable of anything and tests his worthiness by refraining from committing evil acts, yet he still contemplates doing them. Kidnapping women is his way of proving to himself that he can control his darkest impulses, not actually carrying them out. This philosophy drives his twisted psychological game with Rex.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Raymond is shown secretly preparing for abduction, buying an isolated house and experimenting with chloroform.

  • raymond
  • abduction
  • motivation
  • conscience
  • kidnapper
Q2

How did Raymond abduct Saskia at the rest stop?

Raymond posed as an injured motorist at the isolated rest area where he would not be recognized. When Saskia went into the petrol station to buy drinks, he enticed her into his car, likely using a story about needing help or offering assistance. This was his method after previous abduction attempts failed.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Raymond rehearsing ways to lure women into his car and disguising himself as an injured motorist.

  • saskia
  • abduction
  • rest area
  • raymond
  • kidnapping method
Q3

What does the golden egg dream mean?

The golden egg represents entrapment and the loss of autonomy. Saskia dreams of drifting inside a golden egg in space, and in her latest vision another egg appears containing another person, a premonition of her own fate. When Rex later dreams of being trapped in the egg, it foreshadows his identical imprisonment underground.

Foreshadowing: Saskia mentions the dream predicts a collision of two eggs signalling the end of something.

  • golden egg
  • dream
  • symbolism
  • saskia
  • rex
  • trapped
Q4

Why does Raymond drug Rex with coffee?

Raymond's twisted philosophy demands that Rex experience Saskia's fate to truly understand it. By drugging Rex and burying him underground, Raymond forces Rex to undergo the same ordeal, believing this is the only way Rex can comprehend what happened. It's both punishment and philosophical experiment.

Foreshadowing: Raymond tells Rex that the only way to learn what happened to Saskia is to experience it himself.

  • raymond
  • drug
  • coffee
  • buried
  • abduction test
Q5

What happened to Saskia after she disappeared?

Raymond abducted Saskia at the rest stop and buried her underground, likely in a box similar to where Rex ends up. The film implies she never escaped. The final newspaper headline about the double disappearance confirms both victims are gone.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Saskia entering the petrol station and never returning, while Raymond's abduction plans precede this moment.

  • saskia
  • fate
  • death
  • buried
  • kidnapping
Q6

Why does Raymond invite Rex to Nîmes but never show up?

Raymond sent the postcards to torment Rex psychologically. He watched Rex wait at the cafe from his apartment directly across the street, enjoying the psychological torture of a man searching for his lost love while remaining just out of reach. It was part of his game of testing Rex's obsession.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes the cafe sits directly opposite Raymond's apartment where he watches Rex wait.

  • nimes
  • postcards
  • cafe
  • raymond
  • psychological torture
Q7

Why does Rex agree to drink the drugged coffee?

Rex is desperate to know what happened to Saskia after three years of searching. Raymond manipulates him by promising the truth, and Rex's obsession overwhelms his caution. He believes he has no choice if he ever wants closure, Raymond dismisses threats of police action since there's no evidence.

Foreshadowing: Rex has already made a television appeal simply wanting to know the truth, showing his desperation.

  • rex
  • drugged coffee
  • desperation
  • truth
  • obsession
Q8

What is the significance of the buried coins at the end?

Rex and Saskia buried two coins at the base of a tree at the start of their trip as a symbol of their romance. When Rex wakes buried alive underground, the coins resurface as a grim reminder of that earlier moment, tying their fates together and emphasizing the cyclical nature of the crime.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, the couple buries two coins at a tree as a romantic gesture.

  • coins
  • buried
  • tree
  • romance
  • symbolism
  • ending
Q9

Why does Lieneke leave Rex?

Lieneke, Rex's new girlfriend, reluctantly helps with the search but cannot compete with his obsessive need to find Saskia. His fixation consumes him entirely, and she eventually leaves him because his obsession with the missing girlfriend destroys their relationship.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes their relationship strains as Rex becomes more obsessed.

  • lieneke
  • rex
  • relationship
  • obsession
  • leaves
Q10

What does the egg-shaped newspaper headline mean?

The newspaper depicts Saskia and Rex's portraits in two egg-shaped ovals, echoing the golden egg dream motif. The egg shape symbolizes entrapment and the predator's perspective, Raymond views his victims as eggs to be captured and contained. The double disappearance becomes a haunting visual of his crimes.

Foreshadowing: The recurring golden egg dream imagery throughout the film establishes this symbolic framework.

  • egg
  • newspaper
  • headline
  • symbolism
  • double disappearance

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Vanishing World, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Vanishing World tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Slow burn psychological thrillers like The Vanishing World

Unsettling stories where a methodical pace builds to an inevitable, bleak conclusion. If you liked the methodical tension and psychological dread of The Vanishing World, explore movies with a similar slow burn pace. These films build suspense steadily, often dealing with obsession and bleak outcomes, creating a deeply unsettling viewing experience for fans of heavy, dark thrillers.

  • suspenseful
  • haunting
  • unsettling
  • psychological
  • obsessive
  • anxious
  • Tone: dark, tense, unsettling
  • Pacing: steady, methodical, slow burn
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread often follow a linear but deliberate path, starting from a point of normalcy that is gradually eroded by an encroaching threat or a character's obsession. The story unfolds with a sense of inevitable tragedy, focusing on the psychological unraveling of characters as they are drawn towards a grim and inescapable fate.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared commitment to a measured, steady pacing that intensifies suspense, a consistently dark tone exploring the depths of human psychology, and a high emotional weight that culminates in a bleak resolution, creating a cohesive experience of escalating dread.

Philosophical crime dramas about evil like The Vanishing World

Stories that delve into the nature of evil, loss, and existential dread through crime. For viewers who appreciated the philosophical depth and exploration of evil in The Vanishing World, this collection highlights similar movies. These crime-driven stories focus on psychological manipulation, existential themes, and the heavy emotional weight of loss, perfect for those seeking thought-provoking and dark narratives.

  • philosophical
  • unsettling
  • haunting
  • existential
  • obsessive
  • hopeless
  • Tone: dark, philosophical, haunting
  • Pacing: steady, investigative
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern often involves a central, traumatic event—like an abduction or betrayal—that propels the story. This event serves as a catalyst for a deeper inquiry into morality and the human capacity for evil, frequently presented through dual perspectives or a character's obsessive search for answers that leads only to darker truths.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their primary focus on philosophical themes surrounding evil and existentialism, wrapped within a dark, suspenseful narrative. They share a high emotional weight stemming from themes of loss and betrayal, and a moderate complexity that allows for psychological depth without overwhelming the core tension.

Every angle

The Vanishing World (1987) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Vanishing World in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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