American History X: Film Noir

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A conscious nod to nuances of the “noir” theme in American History X was the use of flashbacks as a way to narrate the story. Film Noir is genre of film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. Flashbacks show scenes of previous events that occurred before the story begins and help fill out the characters background. It lends the audience a better idea of what is happening in the present along with the film's message. Flashbacks are used in narrative strategy in film noir, contributing to exploration of truth and falsehood in the genre. In the film, this theme was used to narrate most of the story. To start the film, the first flashback revolved around Derek killing two black men who were trying to break into his car at his house.

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