Henri Decoin’s Non coupable (US: Not Guilty) may represent the apogee of French postwar bleakness, its central character’s moral emptiness and wanton nihilism stretched to an almost absurd degree. Late one night, failed surgeon and listless drunkard Michel Ancelin (Michel Simon just off the previous year’s nearly as bleak Panique) kills a motorcyclist while driving drunk with his girlfriend Madeleine (Jany Holt); instead of calling an ambulance, Michel instinctively makes the scene look like an accident and flees, never attracting suspicion from police inspector Chambon (Jean Debucourt) nor anyone else. It turns out getting away with murder makes Michel feel smart and powerful again, much to Madeleine’s dismay, so he decides to make killing a habit. This will not work out well for him, but for totally unexpected reasons. Decoin is at the peak of his filmmaking career at this point, and it shows in his ability to create a chilling atmosphere using low-key lighting and often claustrophobic camera angles. Take note of the black cat hanging around now and then: the little feline will end up having perhaps the most important role of all.