Film Noir celebrates one of the most seductive and enduring cinema movements. Conjuring images of private detectives, femme fatales, neon-lit streets and dive bars, film noir melded the glamour and thrills of Hollywood’s crime films with the black and white aesthetics of German expressionism. Sexy, smart and sinister, these films offered escapism for 1940s and 1950s audiences still reeling from the Depression, two world wars and Cold War tensions.

Film Noir considers a history of this distinctly American style. It brings together a selection of pre-noir films from the 1920s and 1930s, including the beloved gangster story of Josef von Sternberg’s Underworld and influential German expressionist films like Fritz Lang’s M.

These titles join film noir classics like Double Indemnity and The Big Sleep, alongside contemporary creations with the themes and aesthetics of film noir. Cult classics such Taxi Driver, Drive and Goldstone represent the more modern aspects of the genre.

To view the whole program and get tempted to the dark side, check out the GOMA website.