Taglines: How do you lock the terror out… when you already invited it in?
Single White Female movie synopsis. When a ‘Single White Female’ places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she’s just left), all the applicants seem weird. Then along comes a level headed woman who seems to be just right. The new lodger has a secret past which haunts her.
Single White Female is a 1992 American psychological erotic thriller film based on John Lutz’s novel SWF Seeks Same. It stars Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, Michele Farr, Tara Karsian, Christiana D’Amore, Jessica Lundy, Renée Estevez, Tiffany Mataras and was directed by Barbet Schroeder.
The film debuted at No. 2 at the US box office on its opening weekend behind Unforgiven, and grossed $48 million at the box office in the United States and Canada. It grossed $36 million overseas for a worldwide total of $84 million. Jennifer Jason Leigh won a MTV Movie Award for Best Villain, and was also nominated for a Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress.
The character of Hedy has been cited as an example of borderline personality disorder. She suffers from a markedly disturbed sense of identity, and tries to remedy it by adopting the wholesome attributes of her roommate. It is implied that she feels a deep-seated emptiness, while her fear of abandonment leads to drastic measures.
About the Story
Alison “Allie” Jones is a software designer in New York City. While her professional star is on the rise — she has created a computer software package that will revolutionize the fashion world — her personal life is a mess. Allie banishes her fiancé Sam Rawson from her rent-controlled apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, after discovering that he slept with his ex-wife.
Allie finds platonic comfort in her neighbor Graham Knox, an aspiring actor with a sensitive shoulder to lean on. Realizing that the only way to hold on to her apartment is to find a roommate, Allie places an ad and interviews a succession of unsuitable candidates before settling on the shy Hedra “Hedy” Carlson, the ideal roomie in Allie’s eyes. Hedy quickly fills the void left in Allie’s life by Sam’s departure.
Allie is only too happy to allow Hedy to cook and clean for her. Their friendship deepens when Hedy brings home an adorable and — unknown to Allie — very expensive puppy. Allie later discovers the receipt and confronts Hedy, but Allie can’t bring herself to part with the puppy. Unknown to Allie, Hedy erases Sam’s phone messages when he calls to plead for a reconciliation.
Before long, she’s even begun dressing the same way Allie does. Allie passes off this strange behavior as that of an insecure but well-intentioned woman. When Allie reconciles with Sam about a month after Hedy moved into the apartment, Allie and Sam toy with the idea of Sam moving into the apartment with Allie. Hedy goes over the edge, knowing that this means that she would have to move out of the apartment. One afternoon, while Allie and Sam are out of the apartment, the puppy, which Allie has grown to love, plunges mysteriously to its death from a window.
And before long, Hedy’s closet contains the exact same clothes as Allie’s, and Hedy has even had her hair cut and dyed to match Allie’s look, resulting in a startling resemblance between Allie and Hedy, with height being virtually the only difference. More than a little unnerved, a suspicious Allie talks to Graham. Graham advises Allie to get Hedy to move out of the apartment. Allie begins to investigate Hedy’s background.
Allie goes into Hedra’s room and looks through her possessions, and discovers that Hedy is not who she claims to be — Hedy’s real name is Ellen Besch. Years ago, when Ellen was 9-years-old, Ellen’s twin sister Judy drowned at a family picnic. An absolutely devastated Ellen hasn’t been the same since Judy’s death. The bond between siblings can be strong, but it can be especially strong with twins.
For years, Ellen’s parents tried to explain to her that Judy’s death was not her fault, but Ellen never forgave herself for living while Judy died. Ellen, who had undergone futile counseling, had been looking for a female companion so Ellen could have a friend to replace Judy. That’s why Ellen tries to look exactly like whatever roommate she had at the moment…so it would be like Ellen still had a twin sister.
Before moving in with Allie, Ellen had lived with a woman in Tampa. That didn’t work out, so Ellen killed the woman and went to New York, later moving in with Allie. Now, as Ellen becomes progressively more dangerous, Allie must find a way to free herself from Ellen before Allie ends up like the woman in Tampa.
Single White Female (1992)
Directed by: Barbet Schroeder
Starring: Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, Michele Farr, Tara Karsian, Christiana D’Amore, Jessica Lundy, Renée Estevez, Tiffany Mataras
Screenplay by: Don Roos
Production Design by: Milena Canonero
Cinematography by: Luciano Tovoli
Film Editing by: Lee Percy
Costume Design by: Milena Canonero
Set Decoration by: Anne H. Ahrens
Art Direction by: P. Michael Johnston
Music by: Howard Shore
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexuality, and for violence and language.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: August 14, 1992
Visits: 451
