Possession (1981)

Director:

Andrzej Zulawski

Writers:

Andrzej Zulawski (original screenplay)
Andrzej Zulawski (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

27 May 1981 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

She created a monster as her secret lover!

Plot:

A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife...

Plot Keywords:

Affair | Religion | Screaming | Monster | Obsession

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Adjani	...	Anna / Helen
Sam Neill	...	Mark
Margit Carstensen	...	Margit Gluckmeister
Heinz Bennent	...	Heinrich
Johanna Hofer	...	Heinrich's mother
Carl Duering	...	Detective
Shaun Lawton	...	Zimmermann
Michael Hogben	...	Bob
Maximilian Rüthlein	...	Man with pink socks (as Maximilian Ruethlein)
Thomas Frey	...	Pink sock's acolyte
Leslie Malton	...	Sara, woman with club foot
Gerd Neubert	...	Subway drunk
Kerstin Wohlfahrt
Ilse Bahrs
Karin Mumm

Also Known As:

The Night the Screaming Stops (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

France:127 min | UK:118 min | USA:80 min (cut) | USA:123 min | Australia:123 min

Country:

France | West Germany

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:R | France:-16 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:18 (video rating) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Marianne Productions

Trivia:

Although co-produced by a German Company and shot in Berlin, the Film itself has never been released in Germany.

Quotes:

Heinrich: There is nothing to fear except God... whatever that means to you.
Mark: To me, God is a disease...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Roz (2006)

Inhuman ecstasy fulfilled.

I was stunned by the hysterical energy of this film. Isabelle Adjani as Anna should have won an Oscar for sustaining her momentum throughout. The plot is a little difficult to follow but makes more sense if you track down the full 2 hour version.

Contextually similar to Cronenberg's The Brood (1979) the lead female character (Adjani) gives birth to her sexual frustration in the form of a multi-phallic squid-like creature. In the full version we see an extended scene in the Subway where she suffers the agony of a miscarriage which is perhaps her first attempt at manifesting her anger. She appears to find comfort in this monster as her marriage to Marc (Sam Neill) bitterly degenerates.

We also learn that Anna is cheating on Marc and as she becomes increasingly disturbed both the men in her life turn on each other in a desperate attempt to understand her behaviour.

Skillfully directed and masterfully acted this parable on relationships rivals Jean-Jacques Beineix's 'Betty Blue' in psychotic spontaneity. But unlike 'Betty Blue', Zulawski strips Adjani of all sensuality.

My only criticism would be the rather ambiguous ending. If anyone can make sense of this please let me know!