Possession

R

1981

2 hr. 4 min.

Horror

Drama

List

83%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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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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

Alec B

Let me be clear, this shouldn't work (the vague plot mechanics, the attention getting cinematography, the extreme and unreal performances) and yet it somehow achieves just about everything it sets out to do (i.e. explore the emotional realms of a collapsing relationship) and does so in unforgettable ways.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

Full Review

Edward m

Can't believe I watched this ro the end. No storyline that made any sense. Characters were absurd and inconsistent and acted without any logic to what they did. The movie was a hodgepodge of scenes for "shock" value with little originality. The real shock to me was that so many critics rated it so highly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

Full Review

Melissa L

I have no idea why this movie is rated so highly on both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. I thought it was weird, mostly boring, and horrible. I do NOT recommend it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

lena s

this is one of the most deranged movies I have ever seen. Especially the subway scene was.. wow, the screaming was so raw, and the fact that it caused the actress to have a mental breakdown later on, while it's sad it just adds to the realness of her performance, that situation reminds me a lot of the shining, seems like Kubrick and Żuławski use the same methods on their actresses. (*cough* abuse *cough*) even though they hate each other. I feel kind of... confused and traumatized after watching this? Żuławski channeled his rage caused by his own divorce into this movie, and that fucking shows, especially the scene when the wife is fucking the monster. Might watch again!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/24

Full Review

Dallas H

Okay, I can grasp what I believe would be the symbolism of the movie's story. It is a journey of the emotional trauma of the dissolution of a romantic relationship between the main couple. Their deeply rooted inner turmoil is externally displayed with outward signs of vocal screams and dramatically exaggerated gestures of physicality. I have not grasped the alien creature's purpose or symbolism in conjunction with everything else in the movie. But I know its presence is there for a reason. My response to the movie is lukewarm, at best. I appreciate the attempt for emotional grandeur in telling an emotionally wrought story. And I have noted the lead actors give this movie 110% effort in their performances. Nonetheless, some movie elements felt drawn out and sometimes even redundant.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/06/23

Full Review

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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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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

Keith Uhlich

Time Out

That the film is much more than a gawk-at-it freak show is testament to Zulawski's talent for making even the most exaggerated behavior resonate with pointed and potent emotion.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 29, 2011

Full Review

Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

While Possession is certainly one of a kind, its imaginative plot is over-shadowed by stilted dialogue and overly theatrical performances.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 13, 2024

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Visceral and upsetting, Possession is a film unlike any other.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 23, 2023

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

The disintegration of a marriage disguises a complicated film loaded with cultural commentary, spectacular framing and two incredibly physical performances by Adjani and Neill. A spectacular, confounding cosmic horror drama; it's sheer perfection

Rated: 5/5

Feb 11, 2023

Full Review

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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
Screenwriter: Frederic Tuten, Andrzej Żuławski
Production Co: Gaumont, Marianne Productions, Oliane Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Drama
Original Language: English