Rosemary’s Baby has an under taste, a chalky under taste. Something about it is just slightly irregular, and I don’t know if I like it much. The worst part about it is I am not entirely sure what is wrong, or what I don’t like. It’s not like I am completely in the dark about my uneasiness either, and that may be the worst part. The answer right there on the tip of my tongue, but it still escapes me. I am fairly certain the issue is trust. 

Trust is an abstraction; furthermore, it is not even a notion that can be properly defined. Things are often proven by its negation, for example darkness is only observed through the contrast of light. However, betrayal just happens and then it is over, there is nothing observable in that moment. One cannot even anticipate broken trust, perhaps in attempt to glance the collapse, for that would be to not enter into the nature of trust. We often fear what we cannot explain. There are plenty horrific moments in this film, but the most freighting aspect is the ability is to communicate this feeling of betrayal. 

The opening shot of the film is an areal view of the city, which simply shows off an impressive amount of square footage, but is also very neutral shot. No emotion is meant to be felt here. Seeing as trust is undefinable, trust is established by feelings, essentially Roman Polanski is warning the audience to remain unattached. At about the 2:28 minute mark, Rosemary, Guy (very unobtrusive name) and the agent are walking up stairs to get to see the apartment for the first time. As they walk up the stairs they become silhouettes, their distinguishing features are completely blacked, any sense of personality is stripped away.Naturally trust is partially based on shared experience, trusting the stranger in black clothes is not very common. 

If I had to point to one thing that unnerved me the most in this film it would be the exchange between Rosemary and Guy, after the dream/rape scene: 

"Rosemary: I dreamed someone was raping me, I think it was someone inhuman.
Guy: Thanks a lot. Whats the matter?
Rosemary: Nothing.
Guy: I didn't want to miss the night.
Rosemary: We could have done it this morning or tonight. Last night wasn't the only split-second.
Guy: I was a little bit loaded myself, you know."

There is no fuss, Rosemary goes on just like that’s a normal thing, and she makes it seem that his reasoning is perfectly okay. Polanski is explicitly making the dialogue not match the feeling of the scene. Trust is about a connection and this is the moment where I feel the connection is given the greatest strain without breaking. 

Everyday life has moments where someone says something completely outrageous, and its just ignored. The comment isn’t always meant to be funny, although often humor is used as a shield in these moments. These moments are ignored because there is a level of trust within our social contract. That is to say, if that guy can put on his pants, and walk down the street, he must not have meant to say he wanted to eat his neighbors dog. Well its at least easier to believe that he doesn’t want to eat the dog. The horror in this film is contained in those moments. Rosemary like most of us tries to maintain normalcy, maintain the trust, but sometimes the devil is literally raping you.