Controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski’s 1965 noir styled psychological horror film “Repulsion” is an intense exercise in the fine art of viewing cinema. While it flexes your artistic senses with a barrage of unorthodox angles, long and off-centered shots, and dark tones, the result compromises your overall ability to enjoy a scary movie as it should be.
“Repulsion” received a plethora of critical acclaim and is considered one of Polanski’s greatest works, though truth be told, I’m not a fan of any other movie he has created (see “Rosemary’s Baby”) but just a handful of minutes in and you’ll see why the then 32 year old Polanski was a hipster before being a hipster was actually a thing.
I loved the presentation. The sound in particular works well to progress a chilling atmosphere, with drums and various percussion instruments thumping throughout, accompanied by an ominous and persistent ticking clock. The setting is a simple one; most of the movie takes place within the walls of a dreary London apartment. The film was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Gilbert Taylor’s cinematography, and rightfully so. Often older movies telegraph their age, but here you’ll have to remind yourself it was made over 50 years ago.
Carol Ledoux (Catherine Deneuve) lives with her sister Helen (Yvonne Furneaux). We’re given little in the way of backstory other than the sisters are close, with older sister Helen being the outgoing fun personality and Carol being the polar opposite.
We follow Carol as an unusual character with deep rooted issues when it comes to sex and men in general. One can assume some horrible trauma came from her youth but we are never offered anything other than innuendos, and Polanski was right in keeping this facet intentionally ambiguous. A true psychological thriller, the duration of the 105 minute run time follows Carol as she slowly unravels to a state of hysteria as she deals with her issues alone in the apartment. It should be noted that Deneuve does a wonderful job in the performance. By the end of the movie you’ll find yourself terrified of this striking beauty.
What’s interesting is that “Repulsion” has actual jump scares, unique for the time period, and ones that are shockingly quite effective. Unfortunately they’re too few and far between, with the maddening slow story succeeding at putting the viewer in the shoes of Carol as she goes down a twisted internal path, but also making us forget it’s supposed to be a horror movie.
Polanski has had notorious issues in his personal life, and as the camera takes painstaking efforts to focus on a pair of high heeled shoes or a key sensually plunging into a lock you’ll shake your head as he forcefully reminds us he’s an artsy guy. Not to give anything away but there are a few scenes of sexual brutality that are really tough to watch, and the easily offended should take heed.
“Repulsion” is something that’s unusual in terms of horror. It’s got some scary parts and an overall eerie feel to it. It’s worth checking out if you’re trying to dip your toes into the pool of artful cinema.
