the characteristics of film noir

the characteristics of film noir include dramatic lighting which comes from German expressionist cinema and French film noir. These two influences also contributed to the dark and very cynical tone in American film noir. Narratively, American film noir is often about a crime or mystery and the main protagonist is often narrating retrospectively during the film  and often the tone is bleak, cynical and sometimes existentialist. the American film noir was popular during the depression era because of how they resonated with audiences at the time and since they came from German expressionism which  would often have dimly lit sets and use cheap grainy film because of budget restraints on the studio. Although American film noir didn't have as much of a problem with budget, the aesthetic carried over because of stylistic choice.