Diabolique (1955)
I liked how abruptly this film drops into the boarding school environment and dysfunctional marriage with little introduction. The tone is set, emotional conflict established with frail Christina who can barely keep herself together and her abusive husband making it worse while taking advantage of her. There is tension right from the start, but it still took a while to fully grasp. I was actually pretty bored until halfway through, but there was something about the contrast between the woman that kept it intriguing. Christina being the one suffering the most, but Nicole still apparently wanting to move forward with the plan the most. Why is the one with less at stake the more decisive? Then the mystery came at around the midpoint and the introduction of the jovial detective made things interesting again. While I didn’t see the ending coming, it doesn’t quite reach the same levels as Witness for the prosecution and seemed a little contrived for their rather simple goal.
Criterion Challenge 2026 - 49. Criterion Double Features: Film #1
Rating: 3.5