4. Repulsion (1965)
Why It's Controversial A nightmare study of a young woman's descent into madness, Repulsion was Roman Polanski's first English speaking film and marked the debut of Catherine Deneuve as Carol, the sexually repressed manicurist who goes insane over the course of the film. The film is controversial for featuring the sound of the first female orgasm in film history (Carol's sister is having sex with her married boyfriend in the next room). It is also controversial for the murder scenes in which a floridly psychotic Carol bludgeons a prospective suitor to death and another scene in which she slashes her landlord to death. Beyond that, the visuals are very upsetting - hands coming out of walls, a rotten rabbit carcass, cracks appearing suddenly in the walls.
Why It's Good: It's Polanski! The subject is fascinating - watching Carol's psyche disintegrate. It is a highly realistic portrayal of a schizophrenic episode (except that 99% of schizophrenics are not killers - they are more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators). The way that Carol's psychosis is built up - from tiny cracks in the walls to giant shifts, from imaginary men molesting her at night to killing real men she fears will molest her in real life - is expertly handled by Polanski. The opening titles focused on a close up of Deneuve's eye with a highly sinister theme by Chico Hamilton sets the psychodramatic tone for the movie. Deneuve's catatonic state at the end points to her being mad beyond all redemption. The final denouement with the photograph is tragic and a strong indictment of child sexual abuse. If you haven't caught this one yet, immediately stop what you are doing and go order it online!