Review of Repulsion (1965) by Jj M — 30 May 2011

Deneuve outstandingly portrays a gorgeous young woman who steps over the precipice of mild paranoia and delves into a deep lake of crack-pot madness. It's somewhat of a telling moment when a skinned rabbit's decomposed and severed head is found in her handbag! For the sake of this brilliant experiment in film-making, Deneuve's character (Carol) is not for saving, and Polanski is acutely aware of this.

He ingeniously applies simple but effective on-set techniques that induce purely disturbing and horrorifying moments: Deafening silences, lurking shadows, dripping water, cracks in the walls. What's most extraordinary is that Carol is strikingly beautiful and has many chances to escape her isolation in the apartment, but she just doesn't like men and it's their tragedy for misinterpreting her!