A narrow alleyway is seen from a high angle shot, providing the audience a clear view of the textured cobblestones. A street lamp stands in the middle of the frame, illuminating a small, round pool of light. In the darkness exists a grungy painted signboard hanging above a door, indicating it is an old-time medicine shop reputed for its healing.
The scene is bathed in an eerie, moonlit ultraviolet tone that casts long and slithering shadows in the depths of the alleyway. The balance of the shot is skewed slightly, with the empty space of the alley seeming to engulf the medicine shop. The lamppost is perfectly in focus, but the edges of the frame blur, creating an uneasy atmosphere.
Underneath the lamppost, leaning against its post, there’s a man showing his shiny teeth in a grim smile as he count some pearly white tablets into a grubby little sack. He glances continually towards the medicine shop door with an anticipatory gaze. His figure barely touching the pool of light, the glinting tablets stand out from the overall monochrome scene.
The cinematic quality of the scene comes from its use of a contrasting color palette, stark lighting, and haunting depth, creating mystery and suspense.