Film screening: The Tenant

Trelkovsky (Polanski), a young immigrant, rents a flat in Paris whose previous tenant killed herself by jumping out of a window. Surrounded by disturbing and bizarre neighbours, Trelkovsky spirals into madness, suffering a total personality split, increasingly identifying with the dead girl. A story of obsession, co-habitation and what it means to be a foreigner and victim of plotting neighbours, this psychological thriller examines identification with one’s home, intended here as the space that receives us, reflects who we are and conditions us. Based on the eponymous novel by Roland Topor, The Tenant is considered one of Polanski’s best and most Kafkaesque films, thanks to its claustrophobic and disturbing atmospheres and a stellar cast: Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Bernard Fresson, Lila Kedrova and Shelley Winters.