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Possession

Play trailer Poster for Possession R 1981 2h 4m Horror Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
After Anna (Isabelle Adjani) reveals to her husband, Mark (Sam Neill), that she is having an affair, she leaves him and their son. Mark is devastated, and seeks out Heinrich (Heinz Bennent), the man who cuckolded him, only to receive a beating. After a series of violent confrontations between Mark and Anna, Mark hires a private investigator to follow her. Anna descends into madness, and it's soon clear that she is hiding a much bigger secret -- one that is both inexplicable and shocking.
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Possession

Possession

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Critics Consensus

Blending genres as effectively as it subverts expectations, Possession uses powerful acting and disquieting imagery to grapple with complex themes.

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Critics Reviews

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Rachel Syme The New Yorker The film contains one of the great gross-out scenes of all time... Oct 21, 2024 Full Review Peter Sobczynski RogerEbert.com [Possession] remains one of the most grueling, powerful, and overwhelmingly intense cinematic experiences that you are likely to have in your lifetime. Rated: 4/4 Oct 1, 2021 Full Review Ben Sachs Chicago Reader Adjani won the best actress prize at Cannes for her dual performance (as an unfaithful wife and her angelic doppelganger), but the whole cast is astonishing, exorcising painful feelings with an intensity that rivals that of the filmmaking. Jan 23, 2014 Full Review Josh Goller Spectrum Culture What begins as desperate, frenzied and often violent domestic conflict within a marriage in its last throes then unfurls into an intensely uncanny depiction of the psychological dissolution wrought by such interpersonal trauma. Oct 15, 2025 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Think 'Rosemary’s Baby' reimagined as David Cronenberg bio-horror colliding with European psycho-drama. Apr 26, 2025 Full Review Bianca Garner Filmotomy The film is essentially about the war between the sexes and the destructive nature of love. Oct 11, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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no wasn’t even the same movie lmfaooo Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review unknown Movies wasn’t even that good, it was boring and most of the time just them fighting and getting naked Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/03/22 Full Review Los G Make no mistake, this is a truly awful film. Even its fans say that it makes no sense at all and sometimes that can be fun, but basically this is a string of disconnected scenes, mostly involving endless screaming and some truly woeful acting (Sam Neil looks like he's never been in front of the camera before). It might have worked with zanier leads, but this one is a film to miss at all costs - - unless you want a bad trip Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/15/25 Full Review Eye C Every year there's a film that surpasses all understanding and goes to bizarre and hard-to-understand and hard-to-watch places; this is the one for this year. A woman leaves her husband for another man. The thing is, her husband hires someone to follow her, and to his surprise, the man she left him for is now already been left also. An unpleasant surprise awaits all those who enter this unsatisfied woman's house, because what's inside is truly disgusting. One of those films they call "art house," it takes its time, and at first, it might seem like we're watching a family melodrama with lots of shouting, but as time goes on, we begin to realize why it's called Possession (or similar), and while it's not exactly a demon here, I think it would have been better than what actually happens. A film for those who like stories that take their time and don't mind the strange. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/15/25 Full Review Craig M Wtf have I just watched? 🤦🏻‍♂️ Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/10/25 Full Review Nick O I’m writing this review from the mental institution I had to check myself into after watching this absolutely insane psycho mind bender. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/02/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Possession

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Cast & Crew

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Andrzej Żuławski

Director

Isabelle Adjani

Anna

Sam Neill

Mark

Margit Carstensen

Margit Gluckmeister

Heinz Bennent

Heinrich

Johanna Hofer

Heinrich's mother

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Possession

Possession (1981) Possession (1981) Possession (1981) Possession (1981) Possession (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After Anna (Isabelle Adjani) reveals to her husband, Mark (Sam Neill), that she is having an affair, she leaves him and their son. Mark is devastated, and seeks out Heinrich (Heinz Bennent), the man who cuckolded him, only to receive a beating. After a series of violent confrontations between Mark and Anna, Mark hires a private investigator to follow her. Anna descends into madness, and it's soon clear that she is hiding a much bigger secret -- one that is both inexplicable and shocking.
Director
Andrzej Żuławski
Producer
Marie-Laure Reyre
Screenwriter
Frederic Tuten, Andrzej Żuławski
Production Co
Gaumont, Marianne Productions, Oliane Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
2h 4m
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