(image courtesy of imdb.com)Another psychological thriller, though I personally would say not as effective as The Shining. The basic storyline is that a man rents a room previously owned by a woman who committed suicide by throwing herself out of the window. He begins to find out more about her life, and thinks that the other residents of the building are trying to make him commit suicide too, and essentially turn him into the previous owner. In actual fact he starts to go mad, before throwing himself out of the window. Twice.
The main set of the rented room was effective. It was dull, dingy and small. It was almost claustrophobic. The lack of essential amenities within the apartment, for example a toilet, creates the impression that the main character is being deprived of his basic rights. This, combined with the feel of the room creates a claustrophobic effect, which allows the viewer to sympathise with the main character. It also allows us to understand why he would become interested in the previous occupant, having very little else in his flat to do and with it being such a dismal place to live.
The idea of the viewer not being able to work out if the character is going insane or if, as he thinks, the other residents want him to die, is a good one and gives the film the psychological thriller element. However, the fact that the man is actually going mad is given away fairly early, which really detracts from this thriller element. This idea has been used to greater effect in popular films such as Fight Club and Hide and Seek.
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