Flannery O’Connor said that stories about pious children tend to be false. She’s right, of course, but she doesn’t even say the half of it: stories about children in general tend to be false. The kids are always too brave, self-aware, or smart; they’re like the children in medieval paintings who look like miniature adults. If I Should Die Before I Wake (1952) by the Argentine director Carlos Hugo Christensen is the exception: it’s one of the best portrayals of childhood in film history as well as a truly disturbing thriller.

If this film has piqued your interest in Argentine noir, check out David George and Gizella Meneses’ Argentine Cinema: From Noir to Neo-Noir to read more about this fascinating genre.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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