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Takes us into the mind of a fragile woman...
by Yahoo! Movies User (movies profile)
Jan 28, 2008
5
of
5 people found this review helpful
Polanski's first English language film is a fascinating look at one woman's madness overcoming her. It takes the abstract idea of a mind cracking and renders it in the visual realm.
Carol (a remarkable performance from Deneuve) is a manicurist. Shy and very introverted, she shares an apartment with her sister. Among other things, Carol is obsessive/compulsive, and simultaneously replused and attracted by sex. She succeeds somewhat at maintaining a faç of mental stability. But when her sister leaves on a trip, the walls of sanity will collapse.
Outside of Carol, the characters in the film are window dressing. This is a visual film, and the story is inconsequential. It's about what repulses us, yet also draws our attention, and it's about one woman's losing battle with herself. It shows in Carol's odd fascination with a rotting rabbit carcass, which certainly contradicts her compulsive tendencies. it shows in the voyeuristic way the film is presented. Throughout, we are peeping toms, peeking into Carol's life and her mind. She always seems to have the appearance of a person being watched, and she is. She's being watched by the audience. Thus, we are part of the film.
My favorite moment in the film is almost subliminal. As Carol is walking along the street, the camera follows her, as it always does. But one time, she passes by a car accident. The camera slows down, taking a nice, steamy gawk at the wreck. Sure, we shouldn't look, but we do anyway. Carol is forgotten for the moment as the camera rubbernecks. Then, it remembers what it was doing before, and it's back on Carol. It's a brilliant bit of filmmaking.
But it's not the only enticing part of the film. Repulsion takes us into the mind of a fragile woman and watches it break. Visually rich, it should satisfy anyone who enjoys a story told in pictures rather than words. And it reveals and nurtures the voyeur in all of us. |
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