Shawn Christensen's the Vanishing of Sidney Hall while certainly not a masterpiece of film-making manages to captivate, perplex and leave the viewer with a lot to think about. The non-linearity of Christensen's direction is nicely implemented and clearly translates the script to the screen. The cinematography, I believe, is beautiful and produces a pleasing effect. As for the acting, it is above average but not inspiring enough to make the viewer jump out of his seat. Finally the overall delivery of the story is what make's most critics negatively view this film. It somewhat feels rushed, the climax is supposed to enrich us with drama and inject us with emotions about the characters but in fact fails to do so. I believe it should have revealed more drama during the progress of the story and not the finale. Still, this film does not deserve a low rating, it is not as bad as critics say.