|
Film Shorts: No one does it to you like Roman Polanski
August 25, 2005
Director Roman Polanski (“The Pianist”) casts himself in the lead of the psychological thriller “The Tenant” from 1976. Trelkovsky (Polanski) rents an apartment in a spooky old residential building, where his neighbors — mostly old recluses — eye him with suspicious contempt. Upon discovering that the apartment's previous tenant, a beautiful young woman, jumped from the window, Trelkovsky begins obsessing over the dead woman. Growing increasingly paranoid, Trelkovsky convinces himself that his neighbors plan to kill him. He even comes to the conclusion that Stella (Isabel Adjani), the woman he has fallen in love with, is in on the “plot.” Ultimately, Polanski assumes the identity of the suicide victim — and inherits her self-destructive urges.
Thanks to his darkly unique perspective and grim, often nihilistic approach to storytelling, Polanski has left an indelible mark on world cinema. His films have been compared to those of Alfred Hitchcock, with their use of gallows humor, tension, and occasional surrealism to tell amoral stories of ordinary men struggling to cope in a hostile, ironic world. When watching it, notice the little things. This film has many clues and many little details that make you raise your eyebrows. A terrific supporting cast of French and American actors.
“The Tenant” presented by the Silver Screen Film Society at the Grange Hall, State Road, West Tisbury, on Thursday, August 25, at 8 pm. Tickets $6 or $4 for members. Visit www.mvfilmsociety.com for information.
|
