Director: Brandon Cronenberg
Notable Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott,
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean
When Brandon Cronenberg exploded on the scene with his debut
feature-length film, Antiviral, he firmly launched a bright red flare into the
night sky. I am here. The Cronenberg name is in good hands. However, the length
of time between that film and his latest, Possessor, stated something
else. Perhaps the strength of that debut was a fluke? Now that Possessor
has found a small, but dedicated theatrical release through Neon and Well Go
USA, it becomes apparent that the time between films was worth it. Possessor
is an incredible piece of in-depth, harrowing cinema. It’s a film where the
intensity of its atmosphere is only matched by its bursts of abrasive violence
and stark visuals. Brandon Cronenberg has delivered a modern horror film that
matches some of the best work of his father, a true high-water mark, and Possessor
is truly a statement film.
One could make the remark that any film that puts its
audience into an extensional crisis while it’s playing is either a) a disaster
or b) a masterpiece. Fortunately, in the case of Possessor, it’s the
latter. While the story and initial marketing for the film portray it along the lines of a science fiction fueled thriller, make no mistake – this
film leans heavily into the horror of its situation. Technically, yes, it’s a story about a company that implants an assassin’s consciousness into the body
of another person to kill a target, which certainly sounds like a science fiction
thriller. However, with Cronenberg behind the film, it’s a far more subversive
and unnerving experience.
Thematic questions for the characters, digging into the role
of identity, sexuality, and the disconnection from the human experience litter
the cinematic landscape of Possessor. Imbued with a sense of old school
paranoia, which fuels a tonality that gives the film a late 70s or early 80s
vibe, the various questions that are addressed by its plot and narrative, in
particular the duality of having two very different personalities battling over
one body, makes a cinematic existential crisis put into visual form. In doing
this, Cronenberg delivers on completely unnerving visuals that go along with its
themes. Possessor does not hold back. Along with some incredibly tight
and profound performances, there is almost too much to process and digest in
this film. If anything, I can’t wait for it to come out on home video so that I
can properly start to tease apart all of the subtle detailing in it.
On the surface level, outside of the previously mentioned performances – of which the combination of Riseborough and Abbott proves to be spectacularly dense and intimate, Possessor also provides a substantial amount of entertainment. It’s a slower burn thriller than many might expect, again the tonality is that of a late 70s or early 80s techno-thriller, but when it bursts into its high tension and often surrealistic blurred realities, it shocks and awes. The film rarely shies away from anything and if you are queasy to gore and violence, then this film may push a few buttons. A handful of death sequences are exploitatively heavy and it works in conjunction with the rising atmospheric tension of its concept.
Brandon Cronenberg solidifies his status as one of the most
interesting voices in genre cinema with Possessor. It’s a film so finely
tuned into its themes, plot, characters, and narrative that to separate them
would be an impossible task. The execution is damn near flawless, but its
unrelenting use of atmosphere, visual terror, and bursts of violence make it an
abrasive film that may not appeal to more casual cinema fans. For those that
are willing to dive into the wavelengths that Cronenberg is toying with though,
Possessor is a visceral experience that is bound to impress.
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