Reviews by:
@thefoxgoestothemovies
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8/10
A woman is seen leaving the scene of a murder. Problem is, she’s got a rock solid alibi. How can she be in two places at once? The film answers this enigma within its first 15 minutes, as Olivia De Havilland does double duty playing a pair of twins in Director Robert Siodmak’s The Dark Mirror. But this only leads to more questions. Is one of them a murderer? Or is something more sinister afoot? It’s some of the things that we ponder in this hidden gem of a film noir as we, and the police onscreen, try to unravel the who and the why.
Siodmak has often been compared to Hitchcock and with this film it’s easy to see why, with its blend of mystery, thrills and suspense. There are echoes of Hitchcock’s earlier masterpieces, as well as harbingers to his future ones. But perhaps what’s more interesting about the film is how it seems to reboot itself constantly. The first act is classic police procedural, the second a psychological melodrama about the lives of twins and the third is when we get the big reveal. And while astute cinephiles will easily guess who the killer is halfway through, the film remains engrossing, thanks to De Havilland’s magnetic performance as two sisters whose outward similarities belie their true inner natures. There are certain elements that will seem sexist now, a consequence of progressing societal attitudes and expectations. But that’s probably the only thing that’s dated. What remains relevant is the film’s exploration of identity and self, showing how a wolf in sheep’s clothing will always remain a wolf.
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