Double Indemnity: Femme Fatale

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.