**I know it seems that I like almost ever movie I watch, but I swear I just know what I like. I'm also not paid for this, so I don't go see every new release. I rarely watch random movies that I don't think I will like, or which receive bad reviews, unless recommended by a trusted friend (although Teresa failed me on The House Bunny) or has an element I know I'm a sucker for (ie: vampires).
Plot: (taken from Criterion's website) Roman Polanski followed up Knife in the Water with this controversial, chilling tale of psychosis. Catherine Deneuve is Carol, a fragile, frigid young beauty cracking up in her London flat when left alone by her vacationing sister. Repulsion is one of cinema’s most shocking psychological thrillers.
I definitely agree with the last sentence of the summary above. Repulsion is surprisingly shocking especially when taken into context of when it was released. We even learn in the supplements that a soft-core pornography distributor looking for a break released the film. While it does desire to repulse us, the film doesn't completely turn the viewer off with it's imagery, but rather pulls us into Carol's mind with a slow build up of tension.
Repulsion can definitely be categorized as an art house film. It is not a title that you're just going to decide to watch again on a Saturday afternoon because it's oh so fun to watch. While it is a bit stuffy at times, Polanski does an excellent job with pacing. He lets this woman slowly unravel in front of you, turning up the tension, the disturbing imagery and pace as the film marches on.
For those who want everything spelled out in black and white (no pun intended) you'll be disappointed with this one. There are subtle hints at time for the reasoning behind Carol's madness, no explanation is ever given, and no background about the character is given either. All we know is that she has a sister, that sister is having an affair with a married man, there is a young gentleman trying to court Carol, and she has a family. The how long's, the why's and the who's are never divulged. That is the point though; your reaction to the events has a lot to do with the meaning of the work. Polanski works with a lot of textures and food imagery to get his point across and even in black and white the nauseating feeling still gets across effectively. I'm sure many papers have been written about the themes of love, sex, subconscious, sensuality, and female oppression etc., found in the film. However, that's not what I'm here for.
Repulsion is a very solid film, and I was happy to discover how much I enjoyed it. I've been catching up on a lot of classics lately, only to find their greatness hasn’t seemed to stand the test of time in my eyes. It isn't the greatest, and it's more of an artistic exercise than anything else, but should definitely be seen by any fan of Polanski or psychological "thrillers" to see where some modern films get their inspiration.
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