The Lodger (2009 film)
| The Lodger | |
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| Directed by | David Ondaatje |
| Produced by | David Ondaatje Michael Mailer |
| Written by |
Marie Belloc Lowndes (novel) David Ondaatje |
| Starring |
Alfred Molina Rachael Leigh Cook Hope Davis Simon Baker |
| Music by | John Frizzell |
| Cinematography | David A. Armstrong |
| Edited by | William Flicker |
| Distributed by | Stage 6 Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Lodger is a 2009 mystery/thriller film directed by David Ondaatje and starring Alfred Molina, Hope Davis and Simon Baker. It is based on the novel The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes, filmed previously by Alfred Hitchcock in 1927, by Maurice Elvey in 1932, by John Brahm in 1944, and as Man in the Attic (1953) directed by Hugo Fregonese.
The film follows two parallel stories, one being about a troubled detective (Molina) who plays a cat-and-mouse game with an unknown killer and the other being about an emotionally disturbed landlady and her relationship with an enigmatic "lodger" (Simon Baker).
The story opens with a brutal murder of a prostitute taking place on Sunset Boulevard, in Hollywood. The detective in charge is Chandler Manning and his rookie assistant is Street Wilkenson. They initially believe this is a stand alone murder, but when a second prostitute is killed, the medical examiner says the two murders are not only eerily similar to two murders that took place 7 years prior, but they are exact copies of the first two Jack the Ripper murders in 1888 London. Since Detective Manning had caught who he thought was the murderer of the previous crimes, they now realize the wrong person was tried, prosecuted and executed. Manning is also dealing with a wife who tried to commit suicide, and his estranged daughter, Amanda, who blames him for the attempt.
In a second story line, a couple is looking to rent their guest house when a passerby comes to the door and says he wishes to rent the room. Ellen Bunting Hope Davis takes the lodger, Malcolm Slaight, to see the room and he immediately agrees to rent the guest house but says several times he cannot be disturbed since he is a writer, and needs complete quiet. When Ellen's husband, Joe, asks her why the "for rent" sign has been removed, she says she's rented the room but the lodger needs to be left alone. Joe doesn't believe she's rented the guest house because he never sees anyone coming or going from the premises, and because he knows his wife has episodes where she imagines things and needs to take medication. Ellen begins to have feelings for the lodger and she goes out of her way to see him. She catches him in their kitchen late one night and when he says he was looking for scissors, she reaches across him to pick up and hand him a pair, but he just takes them and walks out.
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