Never Open That Door

Carlos Hugo Christensen's 1952 Argentine film consists of two separate stories. In the first a man tries to answer for the death of his sister, caught in gambling debt; in the second a man who has committed a crime returns to his blind mother, and she recognises her son's voice. The shared subject is the difference between knowing and showing. In both stories someone understands the truth and cannot say it; the narrative draws its tension from that silence and the violence appears little on screen. It is adapted from stories by Cornell Woolrich. The black and white photography and use of shadow are close to American noir; the scenes with the blind mother in the second part are built through sound design. The film was long forgotten and was reassessed later. Who it's for: those who like classic noir and Latin American genre cinema. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a fast narrative; the film holds its scenes long and builds tension slowly.