Roman Polanski is one of the finest directors alive. His films explore dark themes of horror, human fears, and paranoia. His art of delivering powerful socio-political messages, through the silver screen, makes him stand out.
Here are some of his most memorable movies over the decades.
The Pianist
This movie is adapted from Wladyslaw Szpilman’s memoirs depicting a chilling tale of survival during the Holocaust. Szpilman was a famous Polish pianist and was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust during the second world war. Adrien Brody, who plays the role of the Pianist, manages to avoid deportation to the dreaded concentration camps of Krakow. However, he remains trapped in a ghetto at Krakow.
One day, he escapes from the ghetto and takes refuge in a dilapidated building where a German officer is impressed by his music and helps him survive.
Polanski himself had been a victim of the second world war and was forced to live in a ghetto in Krakow as a child. This film brings out a lot of his experience and moments of the war that he lived through Szpilman’s character. The Pianist is a heart-wrenching yet beautiful that portrays the horrors of the war in a hauntingly profound way.
Knife in The Water
This was Polanski’s debut film that was nominated for the Oscars under the Best Foreign Film category. This movie is a psychological thriller about two men who are interested in a woman.
The story sets off with a senior couple accidentally knocking down a young hitchhiker, while driving to the lake. However, the man survives, and they bring him along to spend the day with them. Impressive directions and unusual shots make this movie a must-watch on the Polanski-film list.
The Tenant
This is an original nightmarish movie in which a shy and discreet man called Trelkovsky (played by Polanski), shifts to an apartment in a particularly strange neighborhood. The indistinct, eerie sounds in the apartment, the feeling of being watched by other-worldly neighbors, and the growing loneliness, anxiety, and madness of the character gradually overpower the viewer until the climax in the last, terrible scene. The culmination of a nightmare and an abomination, with an unforgettable hallucinatory scream, makes cold shivers run down the spine!
Rosemary’s Baby
This classic cult horror is one of the most chilling tales directed by Polanski. The story revolves around Rosemary, who has moved into an apartment with her husband, Guy. But very soon she starts to hear creepy sounds and dreams of strange things. When she gets pregnant, she suspects that her neighbours might have sinister plans for her baby.
Don’t forget to cover your eyes and keep the lights on after watching it at night!
Conclusion
Polanski’s movies are sure to impact you due to their deep psychological nature and compelling storyline. So, go ahead and start watching today!
