A young girl is left alone while her sister is on
vacation and suffers a massive psychotic break. HORROR
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Repulsion (1965)Directed by Roman Polanski
Written by Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach, David Stone Starring Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Yvonne Furneaux, Patrick Wymark, Renee Houston, Valerie Taylor |
Repulsion is a bizarre film that shows us a virgin on the brink of a psychotic episode who murders two men and slips slowly into madness over the course of the movie. We're never led to believe the reasoning behind this hatred of sex and fear of intimacy, though there is some subtle hint that she might've been abused as a child, but this is never explored. I feel like we are catching a glimpse into a much larger story that we will never get to see. Repulsion was Polanski's first English language film, and it's far too unstable to enjoy.
Catherine Deneuve plays Carol, the young woman who is being courted by a decent enough guy (the first man she kills). She works in a salon, never talks to anybody but her sister, and resents her sister's boyfriend Michael (Ian Hendry). When they go away on vacation, Carol is alone and suffers visions of rape and violence. The audience is left to wonder why this is happening and where exactly the story wandered off to. It's quite infuriating and it's a theme I'm starting to recognize with Polanski's work. This film needed a second draft, as it is almost completely devoid of story and character development in favor of shocking imagery and a protagonist who is hard to both relate to and root for. She's a crazed murderer that we're supposed to feel sorry for because she's got a fear of intimacy. I don't buy it. Not a fan. |
Even though Polanski is a celebrated director with tons of films that are considered classics under his belt, I'll admit I'm not a huge fan. This movie continued that unimpressed trend.
The story follows a young girl who experiences all sorts of strange occurrences and hallucinations while her sister is away. All the things happening to her are supposed to link to her past, but the movie doesn't really give any sort of hint as to how. While I have no issues with filmmakers not spoon-feeding the audience, the hints were just too subtle to really get. I will say that the hallucinations were terrifying; with hands coming out of walls and the same man attacking the lead character almost every night. The actors do a good job in their respective roles. Catherine Deneuve is excellent in the lead role, slowly becoming more unstable as the film progresses. You really believe her mental deterioration throughout the film. Besides some unsettling imagery and an excellent performance from the lead actress, this was a rather slow and uneventful film. Another Polanski classic that left me unimpressed. |