Thoughts on Fritz Lang’s M

When I watched this the first time, I had no idea what was going on. My interpretation is that it starts out with the kids playing a game, maybe eeny meeny mine moe? As school is letting out, the mom is preparing dinner. The litte girl is walking home playing with a ball as a man approaches her. After the girl does not come home, it is assumed that she is taken by the man.

After viewing it the second time, I realized that I was correct. Although there is a huge language barrier, I was able to understand the plot.   It wasn’t until the shadow appeared on the sign until I figured out it was a thriller. Because Land did not show the man’s face, this suggests he is a bad person with a malicious agenda. On the other side, we have a little girl who has little worries. She is bouncing the ball while walking home, not looking around her. After this scene, he features the mother starting to worry. Her facial expressions give this away as she is shouting for her daughter. The following scenes of different places evokes panic. Showing nothing but the wind blowing and hearing only the mother shout for her daughter makes you feel nervous and scared. The most moving scene was when the ball rolls away in the grass. It is at that moment that I knew the girl was in danger.