Film Review

Space & Environment

Repulsion
Directors: Roman Polanski

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Repulsion is a British psychological horror film produced in 1965 by Director Roman Polanski. The plotline of the production follows the story of a young woman (Cahterine Denevue, Figure 2) who faces up to her haunting past while she is left alone while her sister goes on vacation. The film was Polanskis first produced in with the English language, and his second to be produced outside of Poland. Repulsion marked the first film in The Apartment Trilogy, which arguably helped define Polanski as one of the most successful directors of the psycho-horror genre. The film has received praise from various critics because of its unique take on Polanskis filming conventions. Said conventions help to produce an effective atmosphere through the use of perspective, but more specifically because of its reversed perceptions, placing the audience within the standpoint of the female character, rather than having viewers overlooking the whole experience. As Newman acknowledges; If hell is in the details, Roman Polanski has captured it here in his disturbing portrait of falling into psychosis. (Newman, 2007) Certain elements through the running of Repulsion provide for the interpretations of this disturbing portrait which depicts the process of falling into psychosis which critic Newman suggests. Various principles help to contribute to the unnatural and uneasy presentments, giving off self-explanatory analyses of the insanity of the subjects mind, and slowly revealing the mental state of the character through the camera angles used. For example, the unpleasant scenes which portray the molestful hallway (Figure 3) introduce perspectives to audiences that allow them to relate to character and almost feel what this experience of journeying down this repulsive hall way would feel like, and the uncomforting emotions which would come with the encounter. Other depictions of perspective show the slowly decaying

health of the characters mind through the use of scale, presenting the isolated spaces in which the viewers have become accustomed, to have changed size and almost become overbearing which suggest the fracture state of the mind of Carol, and later feel as if the environments oppresses both character and audience.

Figure 3 Building upon the horror of the disconcerting psychological journey, the use of sound throughout structures the production in a way that additionally aids the first person perspective in which audiences are meant to view the film. Crowther points out that Repulsion is; almost a perfect specimen of a very special cinema sound technique. (Crowther , 1965) Introducing sound into scenes the way that Polanski accomplishes, allows a complete change of mood that is successful in developing emotions of apprehension through suspense, as well as implying an extremely lustful desire for the same implements which provide for this hesitant, yet hallucinogenic dream-like experience. Moreover, the limited use of non-diegetic sounds build on the intense feel of isolation which additionally help to open pathways that further explore psychological emotions and, in turn, delve into the depths of the human mind and any past experiences which could lay repressed within our subconscious.

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The suggestive repressed nature of the film provides for multiple understandings, with some more plausible than others. Events which reside deep within the subconscious mind of Carol could be symbolised through the use of the cracking

walls that own a suggestive nature of these disturbing memories slowly overwhelming her. One of the more notable observations is the importance of the photograph (Figure 4) which appears multiple times throughout, with a symbolism which reviewer Croce picks up upon; A peerless Freudian nightmare, frequently revisited but seldom matched in its desire and terror (Croce, 2012) The idea that explores the Freudian theory of psychoanalysis is intriguing with possible portrayals of the Electra Complex, suggesting that Carol and her sister were in constant competition for the attention of her father. However, a deeper and darker suggestion can be understood, having indicative viewpoints that imply the ideas of repression that is present throughout, arguably symbolising and leading to the conclusion that Carol experienced sexual abuse from her father as a child. With closer inspection of the photograph (Figure 4), the image of a younger Carol expresses a look that could kill (Figure 5) which is aimed at a character what is presumed to be her father. With this understanding, Repulsion becomes a symbolic film that reflects a person that hasnt fully recovered from her past experiences, and further implies her inability to mature due to her subconscious fear of her repressive past. Altogether, Polanski succeeds in portraying a possible shocking reality in a believable, yet horrific series of events that explore subconscious repression linking to the sexual nature of us as human beings. Repulsion reflects an intense psychological experience thats shares traumatic subjective emotion in a way that directs audiences attention to create an effective and unique journey.

Review Bibliography

References

Newman, K (2007) available at: www.empireonline.com; www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=134914 [accessed online on 30 November 2012]. Crowther, B (1965) available at: http://movies.nytimes.com ; http://movies.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?res=EE05E7DF1739E471BC4C 53DFB667838E679EDE [accessed online on 30 November 2012]. Croce, F (2012) available at: www.cinepassion.org; www.cinepassion.org/Reviews/r/Repulsion.html [accessed online on 1 December 2012].

Illustrations Figure 1: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Repulsion.jpg/215pxRepulsion.jpg Figure 2: http://wondersinthedark.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/900_repulsion_3x.jpg Figure 3: http://lefthandhorror.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/repulsion-2.jpg Figure 4: http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterionproduction/post_images/2044/video_still_One_Scene_Repulsion_Still.jpeg?1327444 660 Figure 5: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xh8OsdXukAM/TQE_ugl11oI/AAAAAAAAAh4/vOvtpJWZ8 H8/s1600/repulsion+photo.jpg