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Possession
1981 124 min France, Germany R 18+
★7.6
Horror
Director: Andrzej Zulawski
Trailers
EN
EN
Teaser
EN
Description
A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.
Budget:
$2.4M
US Gross:
$1.16M
Worldwide:
$1.2M
Starring
Isabelle Adjani
Actor
Sam Neill
Actor
Margit Carstensen
Actor
Awards
César Awards 1982
— Best Actress
Cannes Film Festival 1981
— Silver Award – Best Actress
Cannes Film Festival 1981
— Palme d'Or
Key opinion
Possession is widely regarded as an intense, visceral descent into psychological and supernatural horror, anchored by an exceptionally raw performance from Isabelle Adjani. While audiences and critics praise its daring atmosphere and emotional extremity, the film remains polarizing due to its chaotic, non-literal narrative and cryptic metaphorical themes.
| Acting | Isabelle Adjani delivers an extraordinary, physically demanding performance that serves as the film’s anchor, particularly in the iconic, harrowing subway sequence. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography is masterfully kinetic, utilizing a constantly moving, circling camera to heighten the characters' claustrophobia and psychological unraveling. | |
| Screenplay | The film’s narrative structure is deeply divisive; some find the dreamlike, surreal progression a compelling exploration of human psyche, while others dismiss it as disjointed, chaotic, and overly excessive. | |
| Theme | Interpretations of the film's deeper meaning are broad and contentious, with viewers debating whether it functions as a profound allegory for divorce and political alienation or an incoherent, pretentious parable. | |
| Ending | The ending is frequently cited as a point of contention, with many finding its shift into abstract mysticism and lack of clarity to be an unsatisfying conclusion to the preceding tension. |