THE RESIDENT
US, 2011, 91 minutes, Colour
Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Aunjanue Ellis.
Directed by Antti Jokinen.
The Resident is something of a short story, a focus on a doctor who is looking for a new apartment after a break-up with her boyfriend. The film shows some detail of her work at a hospital and her friends there. However, much of the film takes place in the apartment that she rents as well as the rooms behind the walls.
Hilary Swank, who served as a producer on the film, is competent as always as the doctor. She is self-confident but vulnerable, is attracted by the landlord who is fixing up the building. She is also intrigued by a suspicious neighbour, played by Christopher Lee with an American accent. Her ex-boyfriend also appears. He is played by Lee Pace.
The landlord seems very charming and the doctor is attracted to him. However, we realise that he has become obsessive, feels that contact with her former boyfriend is a betrayal and therefore she is due to be punished. The last part of the film is the very physical and psychological struggle between the two.
The film is conventional in its presentation of its characters as well as of the situations – and audiences know where it will lead. However, the director uses an interesting device of rewinding the film and showing a different interpretation of the landlord being surprised when the doctor comes to ask to see the apartment. We see that he had been attracted by her and set it up in the first place when he had taken Christopher Lee to hospital after he had a stroke.
The film was directed by Finnish director Antti Jokinen who had filmed in Finland but moved to make films in the United States.
1. A psychological melodrama? Familiar material? How well executed?
2. The Brooklyn settings, the bridge and the credits, the Brooklyn Bridge itself? The hospital? The parks for jogging? The art exhibitions? The apartment block, the apartment itself, being renovated, the mysterious spaces behind the walls? Atmospheric? The musical score?
3. The focus on Juliette, seeing her jogging, going to the hospital, her competence in the surgery? Her friendship with Sydney? Her looking for apartments and failing? Her going to the apartment block, encountering Max, his charm, showing her, accepting her credentials? Her being introduced to Auguste? The suspicions? Auguste’s gift of the bottle of wine?
4. Juliette, her new life, happy in her home, able to sleep? The encounter with her ex-boyfriend? At the art exhibition, Max walking her home, her reading the signals, the kiss, his return? The growing friendship, the walks, the meals?
5. Jack, the past relationship, his return to Juliette’s life, the encounter, Max’s reaction?
6. The setting up of the video camera? Juliette discovering it? Max’s behaviour, the death of Jack? His assault on her while asleep?
7. His approach, her wariness? His obsession breaking out, the blend of niceness and brutality? The long sequences of the fights and struggles, the geography of the apartment, the spaces behind the apartment? Juliette getting the stun machine? Attacking Max?
8. Max’s death, her survival?
9. A character study, a film about menace? A film about a mentally disturbed person? The consequences? More of a short story than a full feature film?
