M by Fritz Lang

Known for the famous “M” printed on a hand, Fritz Lang is one of the most influential German filmmakers of his time. German Expressionism was at its peak in the 30s due to the fact that viewers wanted to see something “real” after World War 1. M takes place in a city where there have been child murders for many months. There are wanted posters everywhere for the anonymous killer. Elsie Beckmann (Inge Landgut) is walking home with her friends when a friendly man stops her and buys her lots of gifts and sweets. Her friends who live in the same apartment building are asked by Elsie’s mom if they have seen her. Frau Beckmann, Elsie’s mom, eventually figures out that the serial killer murdered her daughter. Due to a killer in the city, there are police everywhere. Business owners complain that too many searches are hurting their companies. The most powerful people in the criminal world meet up to devise a plan to catch the murderer because the police investigations are hurting their criminal businesses. In exchange for money if they find the killer, the criminals set up network of beggars on each block to find him. A blind balloon seller notices the familiar whistle of a man walking past him and alerts one of the beggars. The balloon seller sold a balloon to Elsie and the murderer the day she went missing. One of the beggars has nothing to attack him with, so he draws an “M” for murderer on his hand. Then, he slyly bumps into the killer, imprinting a white “M” on the murderer’s back. Everyone apart of the criminal network now knows and follows him. Meanwhile, the police have been searching local mental hospitals for released patients that fit the killer’s profile. One of the criminals they look into is Hans Beckert. One of the police officers is at the killer’s apartment, waiting for him to arrive home. When the girl Hans is planning to kill notices the “M”, he is sure that he has been caught and runs in a nearby office building to hide. A security guard accidentally locks Hans into a storage closet, and the criminals find him when the building is empty of workers. They all manage to escape before the police arrive except one man. He is interviewed by the police and they manipulatively scare him into telling the truth about everything. Before the criminals can have a mock trial, the police burst into the room and arrest everyone. The epilogue leaves the audience guessing if Hans Beckert went to jail, got executed, or went to a mental hospital.

Hans Beckert is a mentally disturbed man in his 30s who hunts little girls to molest and kill. He is married to a woman who has no idea what he is doing, and they live together in an apartment. Beckert taunts the police by sending anonymous letters while the investigation is taking place. When he gets caught by the criminals, Hans screams that he knows what he is doing is wrong but cannot help it because he is mentally ill. He feels guilty when he sees what he has done, but still continues to murder the children. The audience isn’t told what happens to Hans Beckert after the police catch him.