The Tenant

Main Plot

"The Tenant" is a psychological horror film directed by Roman Polanski, who also stars as the main character, Trelkovsky. The story unfolds in Paris, where Trelkovsky, a quiet and unassuming man, rents an apartment in a dilapidated building after the previous tenant, Simone Choule, attempts suicide by jumping out of the window. As Trelkovsky settles into his new home, he becomes increasingly disturbed by the behavior of his neighbors and the oppressive atmosphere of the building. He discovers that the previous tenant was subjected to a campaign of hostility and surveillance by the other residents. Trelkovsky starts to suspect that the same malevolent forces are now targeting him, pushing him towards the same fate as Simone. His grip on reality begins to slip as he adopts aspects of Simone's life, including her appearance and habits, leading to a descent into madness and paranoia. The film explores themes of identity, isolation, and the destructive power of conformity, culminating in a chilling and ambiguous conclusion.

Characters

• Trelkovsky, a quiet and unassuming man, rents an apartment in Paris where he becomes increasingly obsessed with its previous tenant's fate, leading to his own mental disintegration.
• Isabelle Adjani plays Stella, a friend of the main character, Trelkovsky. She provides emotional support as he becomes increasingly paranoid and delusional.
• Melvyn Douglas plays Monsieur Zy, the landlord, who contributes to the protagonist's growing paranoia and descent into madness.

Ending Explained

In the conclusion of Roman Polanski's 1976 psychological thriller "The Tenant," the protagonist Trelkovsky, played by Polanski himself, succumbs to his escalating paranoia and delusions. Throughout the film, Trelkovsky, a timid file clerk, moves into an apartment whose previous tenant, Simone Choule, attempted suicide by jumping from the window and later died in the hospital. As Trelkovsky becomes increasingly obsessed with the fate of Simone and the peculiar behavior of his neighbors, he begins to adopt her identity, dressing in her clothes and assuming her mannerisms. The climax of the film is marked by Trelkovsky's complete mental breakdown. After a series of bizarre and disturbing events, he too jumps out of the same window, repeating Simone's suicide attempt. Surviving the fall but severely injured, he is taken to the hospital. In a hallucinatory state, he sees himself in two hospital beds: one as Trelkovsky and the other as Simone. The film ends ambiguously with Trelkovsky trapped in a loop of his own psychosis, screaming in horror, fully engulfed in the identity crisis and paranoia that have overtaken his life, suggesting a cycle of despair and identity loss that might continue indefinitely.