‘These days, relationships with neighbours can be… quite complicated‘
There are few directors as adept at creating a claustrophobic atmosphere shot through with paranoia and distrust than Roman Polanski. With his loose ‘apartment’ trilogy (Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant), he painted a picture of city dwelling as a suffocating hellscape in which everyone feels like an outsider. The Tenant is the final film in this trilogy, although sadly, it is probably the least effective…
Trelkovksy (Polanski – directing himself) is a mild mannered diplomat who becomes increasingly unhinged when he rents a small Paris apartment whose previous tenant committed suicide. As Trelkovsky slips further into his persecution complex, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur.
Despite being fairly well versed in Polanski as a director, I knew nothing going in to The Tenant of Polanski as an actor. A cursory glance at his IMDB page suggests that this is his only real starring role of note in front of the camera, and there is always a worry that an actor cum director starring in his own film might just be too much of a self indulgence (see: Tarantino, Quentin). Polanski equips himself well however, throwing himself into a nuanced, multi faceted role with gusto. The real star here is Paris itself. The grimy streets, the blank, staring eyes. Polanski is perhaps the finest exponent of the stark anonymity that comes with living in a big city, and he utilises it to perfection here.
Visually, The Tenant has moments that rival anything within the Polanski oeuvre, the dancing absurdism juxtaposing perfectly with the bland realism of Trelkovsky’s insidious apartment block, but the problem is the pacing. The Tenant is far too long, and far too slow. You could comfortably skim half an hour off and be left with a much better film. Having said that, this is probably my only gripe with The Tenant, and if you have seen Repulsion and/or Rosemary’s Baby, and enjoyed them, then this should be the next logical step in your Polanski progression.
In the end, The Tenant is a good film that falls just short of greatness, although not through a lack of ambition.