Once she is down the stairs she is positioned in front of a mirror and we see how she stares at her self with enjoyment. We also see how she enjoys the attention of Walter watching her as she finishes buttoning up her dress and putting on her lipstick. When viewing the two characters we see that Phyllis admires her reflection in the mirror and while ignoring Walter we see how self-centered she can be. The mirror gives alertness to the viewers because she says to Walter “I hope I’ve got my face on straight”. This remark explains that mirror shots foreshadow a two-face deception and are a cinematic technique used in film noir that can create a reflection more powerful than the women they actually mirror (Place 1980). She then turns from the mirror …show more content…
The attraction this female character portrays for Walter Neff is phenomenal, she has captured his attention by the way he glazes at her. As they are talking Walter introduces himself and soon after Phyllis asks how she could take out an accidental insurance policy on her husband’s life without his consent. By asking this of Walter we know that she is up to no good especially because she doesn’t want her husband to know. Neff infers that she is anticipating a murder and leaves because he does not want to be a part of it. Her sexuality has influenced Walter to the point he can’t get her out of his head and soon after she shows up to his apartment and that is when we see that he is no longer able to resist her. While in his apartment Phyllis portrays herself as the victim and uses that card to create an illusion to Walter of how living with her husband is like an imprisonment and a boring authoritarian marriage. She uses her demented mentality to persuade and guilt Walter to help trick her husband into signing the papers for life insurance. Since he knows all the tricks of his trade, he creates a devious plan as the dominant male to create the perfect accidental murder. Throughout the film we as the viewers are also absorbed by her personality of “good girl” she makes the affair between her and her lover seem “normal” which could easily fool anyone.