Coen Brothers: Noir Pranksters

“Two men ecosystem” – that’s how American director Barry Sonnenfeld characterized Ethan (*1957) and Joel (*1954) Coen while having worked with them as a cameraman on their early movies. The creative siblings from Minneapolis are connected with the lifelong ambition to do things in their own way; their works are quintessence of art and entertainment put together. Over 35 years, they have been amusing viewers with their whimsical approach to genres and their archetypes and conventions, the Coens surprise them with unexpected twists and win their hearts thanks to their unique sense of humor and ironic lens through which they view American pop-culture. All four of the films in our selection are original variations on film noir and illustrate the ingenuity of the Coen brothers when constructing storylines and balancing the topics of passion and crime, which clearly shows their inspiration from the hardboiled school of James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.