Possession (1981)
Possession was a last-minute addition because it’s a movie that truly defies explanation. On its surface, it’s the story of a couple (played by Sam Neil and Isabelle Adjani) getting a divorce. But underneath it is a darker story possibly involving infidelity, mental illness, and demonic possession. Some of the images director Andrzej Zulawski conjures up are so disturbing that you can’t help but look at them and be simultaneously repulsed.
Much of what makes Possession work is the cast. Neil and Adjani convey the long-term relationship they’re in, and the notion of divorce affects them in vastly different ways. For Adjani’s Anna, she wants her freedom but maybe she doesn’t. Neil’s Mark certainly wants to stay with his wife, but he can’t help but be drawn in by his son’s teacher, Helen, who looks a lot like Anna (both characters are played by Adjani). Some of the strongest horror films involve transitions in marriage — another great example is David Cronenberg’s The Brood — but none of them go for utter insanity like Possession. Let’s just say there’s a moment with Adjani in a subway tube that you just have to see, preferably without eating beforehand. Possession will stick with you, no matter what, but you’ll be enthralled by the primal, fantastical world it creates.
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