A young man rents an apartment after the previous tenant takes her own life. But he quickly finds that others are trying to mould him in her image and that his identity is starting to converge with hers.

This was the last film in Polanski’s apartment trilogy (the others being Rosemary’s Baby and Repulsion).

Polanski takes on the lead role of Trelkovsky, with Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas and Shelley Winters rounding out a uniformly brilliant cast.

There’s a great strain of humour here with wry observations of everyday life. There’s also perceptive insights into living in close proximity with others.

This is also a great Paris movie with the city providing a gorgeous backdrop to such dark proceedings.

But there’s also a much darker side such as the building’s punctilious landlord, the neighbours who decide to gang up against a resident and her daughter and, of course, the film’s climax which plays out the mental disintegration of Trelkovsky as he starts to live out the persona of the deceased former tenant.

The ending reminded me of the adage, ‘If first you don’t succeed’ but taken to its most macabre extent.

The Tenant is a fantastic conclusion to Polanski’s trilogy.

4.5 out of 5 stars