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Paranoia In Film Noir


Paranoia is when you are extremely worried about something, when there's no logical basis for it. It is found often in film noir, and drives the character deeper into whatever problem or situation he is in.

Sam Fuller's The Crimson Kimono features a strong bout of this in a love relationship. Joe is a Japanese American cop who

The Crimson Kimono has fallen hard for the same woman his partner and best friend is nuts over. She feels the same way, but he can't let himself believe it: he thinks because she is Caucasian she looks at him with racist disgust and can never love him. He is blind to the obviousness of her feelings towards him.

Then, when his partner, Charlie finds out, he is devastated and angry. Joe's paranoid tendencies extend to this relationship as well. He thinks Charlie also believes Joe could never have a "white" woman, when in fact, Charlie's anger and the "look in his eye" (which Joe believes is racism) is merely jealousy, hurt, and a feeling of betrayal.

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