![]() By the end of the film though, it is clear that Phyllis was the true mastermind of this plot, the metaphoric killer if not the literal one. Again, the light should indicate that Walter is the murderer, the character whom we should fear. ![]() ![]() In several scenes, we see Walter shrouded in shadows while Phyllis’ face shines with light. As he agrees to help Phyllis kill her husband, Walter faces his own dark shadow, his own lack of morality he literally walks into his shadow and into the darkness of his own soul. He slowly walks toward the curtain, as his shadow becomes larger and larger until it overtakes him. ![]() In one particular sequence, as Walter Neff and phyllis Dietrichson discuss murdering her husband so that Phyllis and Walter can be together, Walter faces his own shadow in the dramatic shot below. Which characters do we trust-the one in the shadows or the lit-up character? And what happens-as Phyllis does in Double Indemnity-when the character we trusted, the very anti-thesis of shadows in our mind, might really be the ‘bad’ guy? Who should the audience trust then? Shadows play a critical role in Double Indemnity-the starkness between the dark black shadow and white bright light reminds the audience of the very critical question of morality in the film. ![]()
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