ElMaruecan82
Along with "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" and "Misery", "Single White Female" is one of these 90's thrillers whose ordinary setting and minimalist casting are transcended by the aura of a next-door villain, modern and feminine metaphor of the wolf on sheep's clothes, in a time where post-modernist alienation rhymed with isolation. The isolation is only psychological, the villain could be anyone's neighbor and the extents of her craze would make you wish to live as far as possible from her.And Jennifer Jason-Leigh is perfectly cast as the girl-next-door villain, Hedra, the word next- door taking all its promisingly horrific meaning since she plays the roommate, the one who shares the apartment, the titular "single white female" being Allison played by a lovely Bridget Fonda. Allison lives alone in one of these large, old apartments with an ominous Polanski feel, where walls have ears, and doors these old-fashioned invitations for peeping, the voyeurism induced by the apartment is clearly established in the opening sequence, but more than a simple gimmick, it will give it a subtle Hitchcockian touch.The film borrows many elements, plot-wise, from the Master of Suspense. Allison lives is a sort of 90's Marion Crane, living alone in her apartment, having an illegitimate relationship with Sam (Sam Weber), she eventually breaks up after she finds out he's still with his ex-wife, and then finds comfort in friendship with Graham, the upper neighbor, an aspiring actor. Her profession? She's a fashion designer working in freelance with Meyerson (Stephen Toblowsky), whose goofiness effectively hides some unprofessional interests on Allison. Anyway, to go through her own isolation, she posts an ad in the press for a roommate. The house is big enough to welcome two person and it's the cute Hedra who catches her eye.Basically, Hedra fits the requirements because Allison wants a woman like her, single, white… the title says it all, carrying the second Hitchcockian: the dual personality, when one dominates another. And gradually, we witness a reverse of roles. Since "Play Misty for Me" and "Misery", mental characters like Hedra can't fool anyone. She starts as a very fragile and sensitive creature, traits accentuated by Leigh's natural looks, even Fonda looks dominant compared to her. But progressively, she shows signs of possessiveness, she erases mails from Sam, she buys a little puppy to compensate Allie's loneliness, she talks about an obscure twin she lost before, of course, a survivor's guilt undermined her life. Finally, it's Allison feeling an emotional gap in Hedra's life.The only problem with this kind of film is that you see where it's getting at very quickly if you're familiar enough with psychological thrillers. I remember when I saw it the first time, at 15, I already mourned the puppy as soon as I saw him, at least he didn't suffer from boiling water and had a quick death. I knew from watching another film that when someone finds the victim tied up and get rid of the villain, he's too busy 'playing the hero' to notice what comes behind him … I must admit I felt sorrier for poor nerdy Toblowsky for dying such a straight- to-the-point death while he played his character somewhat à la Ned Ryarson from "Groundhog Day", so as predictable as his death was, I was still in shock.This is the power of "Single White Female", its use of clichés doesn't deprive them from so many horrific bits of unpredictability. To give you an example, you know someone's got to die in an attempt to save the heroine, or someone dear to the hero to show how evil the villain is. In "Misery", it was the poor sympathetic Sheriff, who died just like that when he found Paul Sheldon, in "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", well, no spoiler, but you know who got the horrific glasses treatment. So in "Single White Female", there had to be a horrific death, and I must say, I didn't saw that one coming, and neither did Sam whose last shot caught by his eye was a stiletto heel coming to it. And guess what, this is a third connection with Hitchcock, the banal object, a clothing item like scissors in "Dial M for Murder" or a tie like in "Frenzy" serving as a deadly weapon.The stiletto heel death is indeed the film's trademark, the bit everyone remembers, carefully set up by a scene of oral sex performing. Oh yeah I forgot to mention the film is an erotic thriller but never is the use of sex gratuitous. It provided an atmosphere, a texture of sin and depravity making all the players of that comedy, except 'Allie', cheaters. Barbet Scrhoeder injects some style to what could have been a one-dimensional slasher film, something like the dreadful "The Good Son" with Macaulay Culkin as a kid who was just bad for the sake of it, or to be a breakthrough role for his young star. While "Single White Female" centers on characters that are unnecessarily good or evil, Allie is sweet, comprehensive and patient with Hedra and their mutual affection never quite fade out.Some bits could have been better handled, why wouldn't Hedra kill Graham instead of keeping him in the bathroom, how wouldn't we expect him to be a last-minute savior? Maybe Hedra would only kill those who tried to hurt Allison, but she was about to kill her anyway. Still, despite some flaws, the film's descent to hellish madness is efficient and the hit-or-miss part, the climax is perfectly done because if your heart shouts "hurray" when the villain gets the last blow… and yet for some reason, you feel sorry for her… you know the erotic thriller served its purpose, and now, it's finally time to catch your breath."Single White Female" is based on a simple premise, and provides the perfect requirements of the genre with a sumptuously designed sexy atmosphere. And yes, it's delightfully Hitchcockian.
