In the first image, the protagonist is defeated.
He faces away from us, towards the past. The road ahead of him is indirect and would take him away from us. He is pushed up against an enormous wall. There is no exit. The scene is clear as day.
And then, in the very next shot, a door that reads “Closed” opens, and the protagonist enters, facing us. The diagonal of the road is replaced by the diagonal of the counter which leads him towards us – away from the shadows and towards a warm light.
In this scene, he will be redeemed.
From the superb movie “Midnight Run“.