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Possession

  • 1981
  • R
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
36K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,120
375
Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981)
A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
Play trailer1:41
2 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaHorror

A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.

  • Director
    • Andrzej Zulawski
  • Writers
    • Andrzej Zulawski
    • Frederic Tuten
  • Stars
    • Isabelle Adjani
    • Sam Neill
    • Margit Carstensen
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    36K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,120
    375
    • Director
      • Andrzej Zulawski
    • Writers
      • Andrzej Zulawski
      • Frederic Tuten
    • Stars
      • Isabelle Adjani
      • Sam Neill
      • Margit Carstensen
    • 198User reviews
    • 166Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    Watch Official Trailer
    Possession (1981)
    Trailer 1:57
    Watch Possession (1981)

    Photos103

    Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981)
    POSSESSION (U.S. Blu-ray Cover)
    Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981)
    Possession (1981)
    Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981)
    Shock (1977)
    Possession (1981)
    Isabelle Adjani and Heinz Bennent in Possession (1981)
    Possession (1981)
    Sam Neill in Possession (1981)
    Sam Neill in Possession (1981)
    Sam Neill, Thomas Frey, and Maximilian Rüthlein in Possession (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Isabelle Adjani
    Isabelle Adjani
    • Anna…
    Sam Neill
    Sam Neill
    • Mark
    Margit Carstensen
    Margit Carstensen
    • Margit Gluckmeister
    Heinz Bennent
    Heinz Bennent
    • Heinrich
    Johanna Hofer
    • Heinrich's Mother
    Carl Duering
    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…
    Gerd Neubert
    • Subway Drunk
    Kerstin Wohlfahrt
    Ilse Bahrs
    Karin Mumm
    Herbert Chwoika
    Barbara Stanek
    Ilse Trautschold
    • Director
      • Andrzej Zulawski
    • Writers
      • Andrzej Zulawski(original screenplay) (adaptation) (dialogue)
      • Frederic Tuten(adaptation) (dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Isabelle Adjani is reported as saying: "'Possession' is only the type of film you can do when you are young. He [Zulawski] is a director that makes you sink into his world of darkness and his demons. It is okay when you are young, because you are excited to go there. His movies are very special, but they totally focus on women, as if they are lilies. It was quite an amazing film to do, but I got bruised, inside out. It was exciting to do. It was no bones broken, but it was like, 'How or why did I do that?' I don't think any other actress ever did two films with him."
    • Goofs
      In the kitchen scene where Anna cuts herself with an electric knife, Mark picks it up and starts slicing his left arm multiple times. The next day, he is in the kitchen again with his sleeves rolled up, but there are no cuts on his arm. Given the surreal nature of this film, this could have been planned. The camera focuses on the supposedly sliced arm. One can only speculate what message was intended, if in fact the "gaff" was intentional.
    • Quotes

      Anna: I can't exist by myself because I'm afraid of myself, because I'm the maker of my own evil.

    • Alternate versions
      The film was severely cut and re-edited for its American release - those versions vary from 81 to 97 minutes. The original is barely recognizable so try to catch the full version.
    • Connections
      Edited into Style is Substance: Possession (1981) - Sexuality and Family Structure (2018)

    User reviews198

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Possession: Utterly Mad
    Famously violent, bloody and brutal, Possession is a member of that most hallowed hall of "Video Nasties" we know and love. Boasting scenes of some noteworthy infamy, Andrzej Zulawski's complex allegorical explanation of marital disintegration is known for its thematic obscurity.

    In Cold War Berlin, Mark returns home from unclear duties to a marriage which is on its last legs. His wife Anna, suffering from increasingly inclement behaviour and mood swings brought about by their ailing relationship, is revealed to be having an affair, leading Mark to investigate. What he discovers is more bizarre even than his wife's drug loving German lover.

    The one feeling which appears to be universal in conjunction with Possession is that of helpless confusion. As the credits roll, the only thing we can justifiably think is "What just happened?!" The film is utterly mad; unendingly so. From start to finish, I struggled not to miss a beat amidst the mire. Difficult to follow and impossible to understand at first, Zulawski's frustrating work leaves us scratching our heads for the entirety of its running time. Possession's gradual descent from a Kramer Vs. Kramer-esquire marital drama to a bloody and supernatural allegory is as surprising as it is bizarre and mental. Thereafter, we are treated to a visual feast of harrowing images and strangely violent outbursts. The increasingly insane plot is marred by overeager performances, though it is considerably attention grabbing. The film is not at all a bad one, providing a deeply interesting message (which may take time and thought to fully comprehend) albeit through a hazy, complicated and apparently nonsensical narrative. Additionally, Heinz Bennent's Heinrich is a wonderful and whimsical character, bringing an element of farcical comedy to the plot.

    Managing to shock and surprise as well as stupefy, Possession is a film well versed in oddity. Exploring an interesting topic with a veiled depth, it gives us a message in an unconventional way which is quite brilliant in itself.
    helpful•44
    16
    • imagiking
    • Apr 1, 2010

    FAQ3

    • Why is this movie so hard to find?
    • How many versions of this movie exist?
    • What did I just see?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 28, 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • West Germany
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • German
    • Also known as
      • The Night the Screaming Stops
    • Filming locations
      • 87 Sebastianstraße, Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany(monster's apartment)
    • Production companies
      • Gaumont
      • Oliane Productions
      • Marianne Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,158,473
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $24,232
      • Oct 3, 2021
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,158,473
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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