Here we go into something much more worth studying, cos there's a lot to think about. And by the looks of the endless circles IMDb discussion-boardists are going round in, I think it's safe to say that Roman Polanski's Repulsion is one that will ever be open to interpretation. Being a psychological thriller, there is a merge between dream/psychosis/hallucination and real life, but the real puzzle is the behaviour of our tragic heroine, Carole (Catherine Deneuve.)
The young, beautiful Belgian lives in London with her sister, whose noisy-at-night relationship with a married man infuriates and disgusts her. From the off, she is withdrawn, frigid and quiet. "I don't think Cinderella likes me," the lover quips, "I think she should be in a hospital." Friends and colleagues try to comfort Carole, and find out why she's so reclusive: they worry about her. Then the sister suddenly ups and leaves with her lover for Italy, leaving Carole terrified, alone and with an angry landlord, and an eager admirer, on her back.
With her only source of company gone, Carole goes into full-force breakdown, haunted by vivid nightmares of a rapist, and frightening hallucinations within the walls of the once comforting apartment. These sequences demonstrate some fabulous effects, and were almost certainly the first examples of what are now overused clichés in the genre. The element of surprise is used nicely. Polanski paces his thrills perfectly, to avoid any remaining tension left over from the last. And like any nicely made horror picture, it dedicates a good portion of screen time to establishing plot, setting and characters, before launching the frightfest.
Anyone familiar with Polanski's work will certainly recognise this as his: some shots seem a mere black and white copy of Rosemary's Baby, as does the beautiful old apartment, with its tall ceilings, warped walls and long corridors. This was one of the first English-speaking films for both Polanski and the wonderful Deneuve, whose performance is reminiscent of the beautifully delicate, and identically disinterested Severine, in Belle de Jour (1967). Although the role of Carole doesn't require too much dialogue, Deneuve speaks beautiful English, and is absorbing in her mysterious grace.
Throughout his incredible life, Roman Polanski has blessed filmgoers and culture with a wide range of beautifully made pictures. Rosemary's Baby (1968) was a fantastic and captivating adaptation of Ira Levin's novel. Dedicated to his tragic wife Sharon Tate came Tess (1979), his beautiful depiction of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. In 2003 he finally received the long-awaited Best Director Oscar for The Pianist. He has led an incredible, and often traumatic, life, and still manages to produce the purest and most dedicated art. Polanski is a true master, not of any genre, but of film itself. He never fails to capture his audience, and involve them entirely in whatever story he has taken on. What an absolute genius this man is.
Repulsion is a wonderful thriller. Even the opening credits are absorbed in their genre: the director's credit echoes the harrowing opening scene of Luis Buñuel & Salvador Dali's Un Chien Andalou (1929). This lovely technique is paralleled in the final shot, opening the film up to questions and theories about Carole's condition, and what goes on in her fragile mind. It is masterfully made, which is all we can ever expect from the spectacular Polanski.
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