Repulsion

Roman Polanski's first English-language film was this 1965 study of a young woman's slide into schizophrenia. Written by Polanski and Gerard Brach. Photographed by Gilbert Taylor (Dr. Strangelove, A Hard Day's Night, Frenzy, The Omen, and Star Wars: A New Hope). Catherine Deneuve as Carole, the young schizophrenic woman.

Over the last two decades (or so) I've had many friends and acquaintances dealing with schizophrenia. In my experience, Repulsion is one of the best representations of this illness I've seen. Minus the appalling homicides. The vast majority of schizophrenics are not at all prone to violence. The movie is billed as a horror film, or thriller, or some such, and at the time of its release the general public had little to no understanding of the disease of schizophrenia. And for an era with so much widespread ignorance Polanski & co. make a remarkably competent study of the disease. They get so much right. Deneuve's Carole is the right age for a first psychotic episode. Most schizophrenics are diagnosed in their late teens to early twenties. They get right the social withdrawal, magical thinking, paranoia, delusional thinking, aural & visual hallucinations, indifference to environment (temperature, bad smells), repetitive activity, etc. Which is not to say that Repulsion is a perfect representation of the illness. Deneuve's body language doesn't display the distinctive mannerisms of the schizophrenic, except for two instances where she really nails it. There's a scene where she takes a couple of swipe at her nose, like she's batting away a fly, and she could have been any of a number of folks I've known. In another scene she pointlessly irons a blouse with an unplugged iron.