Review of Repulsion (1965) by Gary W — 04 Sep 2011

I am so glad I finally got around to watching this film. I know that Roman Polanski is known for making great films, but I just haven't had the opportunity to delve into his back-catalog at great length.

This is definitely one of his best films. I love films that allow you to sort of fall down the rabbit hole of psychosis with their characters, and this is one of the greatest examples. Watching Catherine Deneuve play a girl who is slowly losing her grip on reality was delightfully fun, and the way Polanski shot this film is pitch-perfect.

He definitely managed to put the camera, and by extension the audience, right into the same anxiety-ridden space that our main character occupies. I absolutely loved his idea to use the deterioration of her apartment to represent her mental deterioration, i.

E.: the increasingly large cracks in the the walls and the gradual disarray of the apartment. It's a very well-done early film from a director who is both hated and respected in equal measure.