This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Roman Polanski is seemingly effortless in building a tense atmosphere of paranoia. The cinematography is duly vertigo-inducing and the music, I'm sure, will be nostalgic to me one day.
The only truly overt criticism I have is of the acting. Since I loved every other aspect of the film, it's a shame that the protagonist (played by Polanski himself) is so wooden in his performance. It's not necessarily bad, but it is generally lacking. It is not a major flaw however, and this film is still widely entertaining.
I look forward to seeing the other two parts of the Apartment trilogy in due time.
This film comes definitely recommended by me.

Film que cierra la "trilogía del apartamento" que Polanski inició once años antes (1965) con Repulsión y continuó con La semilla de diablo (1968). El protagonista, Trelkovsky (un reconocible alter ego del director e interpretado por el mismo), alquila un lúgubre apartamento en París, donde la anterior inquilina se había suicidado de forma inexplicable. A medida que pasa el tiempo, el nuevo inquilino empieza a temer que sus vecinos intenten provocar en él un estado de paranoia que lo induzca también a saltar por la ventana. La película supuso un gran fracaso en taquilla a pesar de ser considerada una de las mejores películas del director austríaco.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

A bizzarre and moderately tense psych-thriller with an emphasis on the psych. Its elevated above pedestrian by some good cinematography, some memorably wooden acting, surreal imagery and a good sense of humour. The climax is delightfully brutal too, although by this scene suspense has given away to black guffaws.

La 1a hora es una gran comedia, que luego se torna en una pesadilla paranoica.

Film que cierra la "trilogía del apartamento" que Polanski inició once años antes (1965) con Repulsión y continuó con La semilla de diablo (1968). El protagonista, Trelkovsky (un reconocible alter ego del director e interpretado por el mismo), alquila un lúgubre apartamento en París, donde la anterior inquilina se había suicidado de forma inexplicable. A medida que pasa el tiempo, el nuevo inquilino empieza a temer que sus vecinos intenten provocar en él un estado de paranoia que lo induzca también a saltar por la ventana. La película supuso un gran fracaso en taquilla a pesar de ser considerada una de las mejores películas del director austríaco.

Creepy and unsettling in the manner of Repulsion right up to the point where Polanski slaps on drag gear, a mood breaker the film never quite recovers from that's compounded by a wilfully enigmatic ending.

Polanski had already tackled similar material in the far superior Repulsion. With better actors and a stronger script. Boggles my mind why he went back and did it again. This film bored me to tears for two hours and five minutes.

No matter how bad or insufferable your neighbors might be, Trelkovsky has it worse. Or does he?

Publiqué el 21/01/2010:

"If you cut off my head, what would I say... Me and my head, or me and my body? What right has my head to call itself me?"...
Le locataire (Polanski, 1976)
www.facebook.com/iskramexico/posts/268077386178

Many reviews i've read about this movie have criticized the acting by Polanski, but that is what made this movie interesting to me. The whole camp undertone to it made the dark humour much more rooted. The ambiguity turning into clear insanity was so well done! I can see this as being an alternative ending to Rosemary's Baby, but due to reasons unknown, I much prefer The Tenant. So much so in fact, that it might be my favourite Polanski flick.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Surprised I hadn't heard of this before. Polanski working in a very similar area to Rosemary's Baby here. A very scary look at a weird apartment complex.

The ending took a while to really find its way and was not as gripping as what came before but it was good nonetheless.

Polanski isn't suited to be a professional actor but gives a great performance here. The cinematography and lighting from Nykvist is amazing. This should serve as a handbook for establishing tone.