The Tenant (1976)

The story of a quiet, unassuming bachelor who moves into an apartment that he later learns has an unpleasant history, and that’s all I'm willing to reveal about the plot. It’s a slow moving affair that takes time to get to where it’s going, but the steps taken to get there are never dull.
Polanski is adept at turning the typically mundane into something bubbling menacingly with nightmarish potential. He doesn't make life simple for his viewers, but that’s his way and, I would argue, is a necessary part of the process. You either accept his vision or you hide from it.
It's the third film in what’s known as Polanski’s Apartment Trilogy. The others are Repulsion (1965) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). They share a common theme but aren't connected in any other way.

4 reflections out of 5