Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Possession

Play trailer Poster for Possession R Now Playing 2h 4m Horror Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
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.
Now in Theaters Now Playing Buy Tickets

Where to Watch

Possession

Possession

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Rachel Syme The New Yorker 10/21/2024
The film contains one of the great gross-out scenes of all time... Go to Full Review
Peter Sobczynski RogerEbert.com 10/01/2021
4/4
[Possession] remains one of the most grueling, powerful, and overwhelmingly intense cinematic experiences that you are likely to have in your lifetime. Go to Full Review
Ben Sachs Chicago Reader 01/23/2014
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. Go to Full Review
Josh Goller Spectrum Culture Oct 15
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. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Apr 26
Think 'Rosemary’s Baby' reimagined as David Cronenberg bio-horror colliding with European psycho-drama. Go to Full Review
Bianca Garner Filmotomy 10/11/2024
The film is essentially about the war between the sexes and the destructive nature of love. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
no 10/06/2024 wasn’t even the same movie lmfaooo See more unknown 02/03/2022 Movies wasn’t even that good, it was boring and most of the time just them fighting and getting naked See more Farah R @Farah Nov 25 I don't even know what I just watched. Possession is a confusing mess of two people yelling at each other for two hours. The narrative is confusing, the acting is overdone, and the message is nonsensical. I fail to see why many consider it a masterpiece of psychological horror. See more Luis Ivan M Nov 12 An artful psychological thriller that borders on horror. The film is carefully structured, beginning as a domestic drama before gradually introducing unsettling, horror-like elements. It doesn’t adhere to a conventional narrative arc, which keeps viewers uncertain about where the story is headed. The characters are sharply written, even if their behavior occasionally veers into extremes. Performances are strong across the board, though the intensity of some scenes might wear down certain viewers after prolonged stretches of emotional tension. The film’s ambiguous ending leaves many questions unanswered, but this feels deliberate and thematically consistent rather than careless. While the horror elements aren’t particularly frightening, the film sustains a sense of unease and discomfort throughout. Technically, it’s exceptional with long takes, fluid camera movements, and striking sound design all heighten the film’s emotional impact. The pacing is deliberate and at times slightly overstretched, yet it consistently maintains intrigue. This isn’t a pleasant viewing experience, nor is it meant to be. The film is designed to unsettle and provoke, leaving the audience shocked and contemplative. It won’t appeal to everyone, but for film enthusiasts and genre fans, it’s a bold and rewarding piece worth experiencing and interpreting for themselves. See more Sebastian L Nov 3 If Zulawski's ambition was to make an intense film he surely succeeded. It doesn't mean that all the shouting and fighting catch my interest. The vision is tangible, the cinematography is great and the performances are captivating, but I still don't understand what any of the characters are going on about. See more nick s Nov 3 It certainly goes off the rails in a bizarre way. I'm not sure the director was in possession of his facalties. It did feel like artsy for the sake of artsy with some weird inexplicable stuff near the end. For the most part the acting was good, though now and then a bit rich. See more Read all reviews
Possession

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

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
Most Popular at Home Now