Help me identify this movie.

April 8, 2015 1:17 PM

Hazy memories of this DVD seen a few years ago. Neo-noir mystery with an indie feel. Dream-like with stylized, almost campy dialogue. Mostly black and white, heavy noir shadows, with occasional switch to color (red dress?). A classic blonde bombshell is caught up in a mystery she doesn't understudy. There is a second sultry blonde who seems to understand what's going on but offers only cryptic comments.
posted by Jackson to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

It's not in black and white, but maybe Mulholland Drive? It's two blondes, who are figuring out a mystery together in an indy noir.
posted by xingcat at 1:30 PM on April 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I came in here to make the same suggestion.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 1:34 PM on April 8, 2015

Thirding Mulholland Drive.
posted by rtha at 1:36 PM on April 8, 2015

Sin City, perhaps?
posted by a person of few words at 1:45 PM on April 8, 2015

It does sound like a fever-dream combination of MULHOLLAND DRIVE, SIN CITY and SCHINDLER'S LIST (given the red dress), but I'm not sure that makes sense.

The other neo-noirs I can think of that are dream-like and switch from black and white to color are EUROPA (aka ZENTROPA), KAFKA, and THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD (if that can be considered neo-noir).
posted by eschatfische at 1:48 PM on April 8, 2015

Black-and-whte neo-noir from the 1980s: Rumble Fish. Only the fish are in color, and Diane Lane isn't blonde, but dreamy to be sure.
posted by Rash at 2:21 PM on April 8, 2015

Best answer: I haven't seen it, so I'm not sure about the color switching, but could it have been Yesterday Was a Lie (2008)?
posted by rabbitroom at 2:27 PM on April 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

And less noir-y, strictly speaking, but possibly Mortem (2010)?
posted by rabbitroom at 2:28 PM on April 8, 2015

There's also The Spirit, done in the style of Sin City but more noir, not entirely black and white but using spot colors for emphasis.
posted by AzraelBrown at 3:09 PM on April 8, 2015

Response by poster: Yes!, rabbitroom - it's Yesterday Was a Lie , though I have no idea how you could have gotten this without having seen it. Thanks to all, I'll be checking out some of these other suggestions as well.
posted by Jackson at 3:23 PM on April 8, 2015

Haha, outstanding! It was on Netflix Instant a long while back and I thought it looked interesting so I put it in my queue. When I finally went to sit down and watch it, it had been removed. I've always meant to watch it since, and this thread has prompted me to search it out again. I'll probably watch it on Amazon this weekend!
posted by rabbitroom at 8:56 PM on April 8, 2015