“Vanished Into the Night,” a thriller starring Annabelle Wallis and Riccardo Scamarcio about a divorced couple in southern Italy whose children are kidnapped for ransom, has skyrocketed to the top of Netflix’s global charts in a rare feat for an Italian film.
In “Vanished,” Wallis — who played Grace Helen on “Peaky Blinders” — plays an American psychiatrist living in Italy’s scenic Puglia region after breaking up with Pietro, a man with a dark past played by acclaimed Italian actor Scamarcio. When the estranged couple’s children go missing on the outskirts of the coastal city of Bari, Pietro connects with a criminal from his past on a dangerous mission to bring his children home.
The high-stakes film, directed by acclaimed director Renato De Maria (“Hotel Fear,” “Paz!”), hit the top spot just days after its global release on July 11 on Netflix, taking the top spot among non-English films on the latest global top 10 chart for July 8-14.
Most recently, on July 18, “Vanished” became the most-watched movie on Netflix, according to streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol.
Vanished, which blends classic crime films with family dynamics—and is based on the Argentine thriller Seventh Floor (“Séptimo”) by director Pache Amezcua—is written by the brilliant Italian screenwriter and novelist Francesca Marciano (“A Brighter Tomorrow”) and Luca Invascelli (“The Catholic School”). Giacomo Dorzi (“Baby”) serves as creative producer.
The thriller is produced by Roberto Sessa (“Outer Sea”) through his company Picomedia, which recently joined the Fremantle Group when the company acquired Asacha Media Group, which includes Picomedia.
Sisa said in a statement to: diverse In addition to being a “source of great pride,” topping Netflix’s global charts provides tangible evidence that the international potential of films is “determined by stories and quality, not just language.”
“Seeing this short film attract viewers all over the world confirms this idea,” Sessa added.
