Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

The Tenant

(Le Locataire, France, 1976)

Most critics loved this, but there were a few dissenters. Ebert gave it one star. I don’t know if I’d go that low, but this isn’t one of Roman Polanski’s best. It’s not Pirates but it’s a long way from Rosemary’s Baby. One of the problems is that he made a total masterpiece on the same theme: somebody going crazy in a small apartment. That was Repulsion, one of the best psychological thrillers ever, right up with the best of Hitchcock but more modern. Another problem is that it’s boring, and too long. And it has one of the lamest endings I’ve ever seen. Don’t bother.