Femme Fatale translated from French
means “Fatal Woman”. Often seductive and mysterious, the Femme Fatale lures the
protagonist to his fateful demise. Phyllis portrays the Femme Fatal
flawlessly. She is scheming and
dangerous, however to Walter Neff she is enchanting and divine. She is often
dressed in white, suggesting innocence and purity; she also falls madly in love
with Neff very quickly, which makes her seem naïve. She convinces Neff to help
her kill her husband through perfectly playing her role in the self-directed
scheme she has devised. Phyllis has Neff
effortlessly wrapped around her finger, through not only seduction, but manipulation
as well. Compared to Lynn Bracken, Phyllis is malicious. Lynn’s sexuality unintentionally
exploits Bud’s weakness. Phyllis, on the other hand, uses her sexuality to
trick Neff and in the end takes the term Femme Fatale to a literal level by
attempting to kill him, but ultimately leading him to execution.
