The Penny Black is billed as a “documentary noir,” as if an entirely new genre is needed to categorize this puzzle box of a film. It follows a young man named Will who goes on a labyrinthine journey through the underbelly of Los Angeles to discover the whereabouts of his inscrutable Russian neighbor who left him in charge of safeguarding a cryptic million-dollar stamp collection.
More than just a nail-biting mystery, director Joe Saunders also presents a touching reflection on paternal relationships. He takes you through Will’s past as the estranged son of a con man to interpret how that plays into his unwavering devotion to keep his neighbor’s secrets.
Saunders patiently observes Will as he slowly unravels the complex layers of his neighbor’s stories and the intricate world of stamp collecting. Despite the empirical qualities of the film and its focus on such a commonplace hobby, The Penny Black is anything but dull. Saunders fills his film with a taut intensity that resembles a traditional thriller, especially as Will attempts to discover the truth by connecting with private investigators, acquaintances who knew his neighbor, and collectors who can appraise the stamps. The audience follows Will on a winding journey with no concrete end in sight and are left just as perplexed and overwhelmed as he is.
For over 90 minutes, Saunders immerses you in a bizarre yet fascinating world of intrigue and deception. Who is Will’s mystifying neighbor? Why did he leave those stamps behind? Can Will ever find him? But the greatest question of all that The Penny Black poses is after one of the most lucrative stamps in the collection goes missing. Can Will be trusted? Did he secretly steal it for himself?
No matter how intimately we scrutinize the enigmatic Will, we cannot be sure. Saunders’ captivating documentary builds to a tense ending and cliffhanger that is best left a surprise and features some stealthy filmmaking. The Penny Black is an odd little gem of a story that feels like an old-fashioned detective noir in the emotional intensity of its absorbing mystery.