Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Sunset Boulevard is a dark, haunting drama that follows struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis after a chance encounter with Norma Desmond, a faded silent-film star who lives isolated in a decaying Sunset Boulevard mansion. Desperate for money, Joe accepts Norma’s offer to move in and help her craft a comeback script; what begins as a pragmatic arrangement soon becomes a dangerous, codependent relationship that pulls him deeper into her delusions and the mansion’s gilded ruin. As Joe falls for the young writer Betty Schaefer and tries to reclaim his independence, Norma’s jealousy and fragile grandeur spiral into madness, with tragic consequences. Seeing the film is an immersive experience: you’ll feel the claustrophobic pull of Norma’s world, the noir atmosphere of postwar Hollywood, and the bitter satire of a town that chews up and discards its idols. Expect slow-building tension, sardonic and heartbreaking moments, and a mood that blends glamour, decay, and moral ambiguity. The story probes loneliness, obsession, and the cost of dreams, leaving viewers unsettled, moved, and thinking long after the final scene.

Actors: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim

Director: Billy Wilder

Runtime: 110 min

Genres: Drama, Film-Noir

94 /100 8.4 /10 8.9 /10