Back Street: A slow burn about a life spent waiting

Is this worth your time?

If you like movies that make your chest feel tight and your brain frustrated, yeah, watch it. If you need a movie where the characters make smart choices and move on, stay far away. You’re going to want to shake Ray Schmidt about ten minutes into the second act, but you’ll keep watching because Irene Dunne is just that good.

She plays this woman who is so patient it hurts. She’s stuck in this 'back street' life for a guy who just keeps showing up when it’s convenient for him. It’s not exactly a rom-com, folks.

Small details that stuck with me

• The way the furniture changes as the years tick by. It’s like the room knows she’s waiting.
• Irene Dunne’s voice. She can say so much with just a little quiver while she’s holding a hat.
• The side characters are surprisingly funny, especially Zasu Pitts. She shows up and suddenly the screen feels a little less heavy.

Honestly, the man she’s waiting for is a bit of a dud. He’s got that 1930s charm, but he’s really just a guy having his cake and eating it too. You watch him move through his life, always looking slightly guilty, but never guilty enough to actually change anything.

There’s a scene near the middle that goes on for a beat too long. You can see the director trying to pull a specific kind of melancholy out of the air, and it almost works. Then it just settles into a weird, quiet gloom.

I kept thinking about The Whirlwind of Youth while watching this, mainly because of how different the energy is. Here, everything is dragged out, heavy, and full of dusty corners. It doesn't have that frantic speed.

It’s a movie about endurance. Or maybe just a movie about stubbornness? I’m still not sure. 🤷‍♂️

Sometimes you just want to reach into the screen and tell her to pack a bag and leave. But she doesn't. She stays. That’s the tragedy of it, I guess. The movie doesn't judge her for it, which I really appreciated. It just lets the years pile up.

Don't expect some grand, flashy ending. It ends exactly how a life like that would end. Quietly. In a big house. With a lot of stuff that doesn't actually mean anything.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely worth the sit if you’re in the mood for something that stays in your head for a few days. Just don't blame me if you feel like you need a walk afterward.