Let me just say that if my life were a film noir, I would be very afraid…all the time. So much is conveyed through image, or lack thereof, and through music that sitting through a film noir, to me, is a very unsettling experience. There is haunting, fleeting paranoid atmosphere amidst the diegetic universe conveyed primarily through atypical lighting and claustrophobic scene layouts. The score likewise elevates the sense of helplessness and panic that runs through the core of film noir.
The music in Christ in Concrete (1949) certainly speaks for itself, with the first five minutes of the film entirely narrative by the haunting, jittery non-diegetic music that follows Geremio through his confused, traumatic journey home. The opening scene completely embodies the essence of film noir and sets the tone for the entire movie. While the music gradually elevates the tension of his return home, tight low angle shots of Geremio’s contorted face and the cold, hollow sky powerfully conveys the fragmented mental status of the main character. The entire film operates on this basis: the psychologically corrupt, devious motives that characters harbor are accentuated through these tight shots, usually low angle, that either focus our attention of the minutia of our specimen’s face, or on the compressed universe in which our characters operate. For example, many scenes in which Geremio and his fellow coworkers drink at the tavern involve condense, claustrophobic arrangement and an abundance of shadows, as the men usually reflect upon matters of a dark nature.
These scenes are almost always poorly lit, as backlighting, or low-key lighting, takes charge over high-key lighting. The fill light is almost completely eliminated resulting in a chiaroscuro effect that portrays the characters in devious manner. Many scenes, especially the opening scene, in which Geremio stumbles to his door in an anxious stupor, are very poorly lit, which builds tension and forces us to question our character’s motives. Nothing is illuminated in film noir, both literally and figuratively—physical stature and personal character are muddled by the absence of light.
Through the employment of low-key lighting and claustrophobic camera angles, film noir and more specifically, Christ in Concrete, are able to convey this sense of paranoia and doubt. Motives are unclear—Geremio’s character is often changing, and darker impulses tend to overcome him during testing times. Lighting throughout the movie, perhaps the most obvious motif in Christ in Concrete clouds both character and motive, setting the stage for a haunting, unsettling thrill ride.
