The Tenant (1976)

Directed by Roman Polanski. Starring Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Shelley Winters, Jo Van Fleet, Bernard Fresson, Zio Vittorio, Lila Kedrova. (R)

Peculiar but fascinating psychological horror film finds a meek, frail man (played by Polanski), a French citizen of Polish ancestry, taking up residence in an apartment previously rented out by a woman who attempted suicide; however, the room almost seems to be haunted (figures staring at him from across the courtyard for hours, loose teeth found jammed into the walls, etc.) and his ghastly neighbors are rude and hostile and seem eager to get rid of him. The Kafka-esque path to madness is detailed with grounded absurdities, and its grasp (or repudiation) of reality is as intriguingly ephemeral as it was in the other films in Polanski’s so-called “Apartment Trilogy” (Repulsion and Rosemary’s Baby). A bit unfocused at times, especially in regard to the protagonist’s muddled relationship with a friend (Adjani) of the previous tenant. Beautifully photographed by Sven Nykvist, and the ending—climax and denouement, both—is hard to shake. Dismissed by most critics when it was released, it has since been deservedly reappraised, earning a cult following as well.

82/100