Repulsion

Rman Planski shared that during the auditions for Carol, he was looking for “an angel with a slightly soiled halo,” or something to that effect, and Catherine Deneuve is exactly that. Beautiful. Deeply troubled too. I connected with Repulsion much more than I had anticipated, knowing what I thought I did of its premise and knowing that I do of its creator, but this film surprised me in more ways than one. It’s isolating. Experimental. I am learning now that I love a tale of paranoia, of one collapsing inwardly. With every turn, every second glance from a passerby, every sound and shadow and even the manifestations of her fear inside the apartment, which should be a safe haven, the viewer is left to ask themselves: is this real? Is this a figment of Carol’s imagination? The sound design is bleak and wonderfully effective. Mundane, maddening noises. A dog barking. Neighbors heard through the walls. And then, sometimes, we are left with a bitter and painful stretch of silence. I want to add, too, that I admire the connection between Carol’s psyche and the state of the appearance and the apartment. P*lanski utilizes her character as another room, an extension of a world around her devolving into insanity: her hair becomes limp and tousled, that damn rabbit decomposes day by day, the walls split open. Just beautiful.