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Possession

  • 19811981
  • RR
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
31K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,590
55
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981)
Home Video Trailer from Anchor Bay Entertainment
Play trailer1:57
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Horror

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.

IMDb RATING
7.3/10
31K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,590
55
  • Director
    • Andrzej Zulawski
  • Writers
    • Andrzej Zulawski(original screenplay)
    • Frederic Tuten(adaptation)
  • Stars
    • Isabelle Adjani
    • Sam Neill
    • Margit Carstensen
Top credits
  • Director
    • Andrzej Zulawski
  • Writers
    • Andrzej Zulawski(original screenplay)
    • Frederic Tuten(adaptation)
  • Stars
    • Isabelle Adjani
    • Sam Neill
    • Margit Carstensen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 183User reviews
    • 155Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos1

    Possession (1981)
    Trailer 1:57
    Possession (1981)

    Photos103

    Possession (1981)
    POSSESSION (U.S. Blu-ray Cover)
    Possession (1981)
    Possession (1981)
    Isabelle Adjani in Possession (1981)
    Schock (1977)
    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)
    Sam Neill and Leslie Malton in Possession (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Isabelle Adjani
    Isabelle Adjani
    • Annaas Anna…
    Sam Neill
    Sam Neill
    • Markas Mark
    Margit Carstensen
    Margit Carstensen
    • Margit Gluckmeisteras Margit Gluckmeister
    Heinz Bennent
    Heinz Bennent
    • Heinrichas Heinrich
    Johanna Hofer
    • Heinrich's Motheras Heinrich's Mother
    Carl Duering
    Carl Duering
    • Detectiveas Detective
    Shaun Lawton
    • Zimmermannas Zimmermann
    Michael Hogben
    • Bobas Bob
    Maximilian Rüthlein
    • Man with Pink Socksas Man with Pink Socks
    • (as Maximilian Ruethlein)
    Thomas Frey
    • Pink Sock's Acolyteas Pink Sock's Acolyte
    Leslie Malton
    • Saraas Sara…
    Gerd Neubert
    • Subway Drunkas 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
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    During a secretive business trip away, Mark learns that his wife Anna is growing restless in what he believed was their happy marriage. Upon his return home, he learns from her that she wants a divorce. They both go through a series of different emotions related to their situation, Mark's which is generally obsessive about learning why Anna, who he still loves, wants the divorce, and Anna's which is generally increasingly histrionic in getting away from Mark. Caught in the middle is their infant son Bob, who Mark uses as a gage to Anna's mental state. Anna states that her want for the divorce is not because of another man, but Mark finds out that Anna has a lover named Heinrich. In the meantime, Mark also meets Bob's teacher Helen, who looks exactly like Anna, but is her polar opposite in temperament. Starting a relationship with Helen lessens his obsession with Anna. But as Mark and Anna's encounters together reach more emotional and violent levels, Mark, with help of a private investigative firm, learns that Anna's love life is not all that it appears. Anna's true obsession has a somewhat gruesome process and nothing will stop her from reaching her end goal. —Huggo
    • obsession
    • existentialism
    • violence
    • monster
    • screaming
    • 55 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • ...You'll Never Go Out Alone at Night Again. ("The Night the Screaming Stopped" release)
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Horror
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    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 reviews183

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    There are subtle films, there are unsubtle films and then there's this.
    There are subtle films, there are unsubtle films and then there's 'Possession (1981)', a picture that cranks everything up to eleven and doesn't even think about adjusting the dials until its end credits have rolled. It's a very violent movie, and I'm not just talking about violence in the traditional sense. Every movement feels like a convulsion, every reaction an explosion, every interaction a fight, every line of dialogue a visceral scream. Of course, there are also moments of more conventional conflict, eruptions of painful brutality that hit like a truck, but the piece is very aggressive for its entire duration. It's nihilistic, but not unreasonably nasty. Its characters tear themselves apart from the inside as they fruitlessly scramble to understand their seemingly world-shattering situation. The performances are overwrought yet vigorous, some of the most intense I've ever seen on screen. They walk the line between scary and silly, ultimately emerging as rather uncanny. As such, they're rather unsettling. They're over-the-top without being obnoxious, forceful without being foolish, pretty much pitch-perfect for what the movie tries to achieve. Everything is just a bit off, representative of a kind of unreality that roots the story in a world adjacent to our own, recognisable yet alien. The tone is effectively bizarre, as is the film in general. There's nothing quite like it, to be honest. It certainly has a distinct effect. The actual plot is strangely discreet considering how brazenly unsubtle the overall experience is. The movie is, at its core, a metaphor for divorce. The specifics of how this metaphor relates to the beat-for-beat plot are almost irrelevant. In a way, the film's subtext is its substance. Without its allegorical underpinning, I suppose it doesn't really hold any weight. This is almost the opposite of how most movies with an allegorical element operate, as they tend to present an air-tight straightforward story that can also be interpreted in a few different ways. Here, those interpretations are pretty much the only thing that matter. Most of the movie is a literal manifestation of the metaphors it represents; there's almost no other way to interpret its events. Perhaps that could be frustrating to some, especially because its in-the-moment narrative is purposefully difficult to parse. Yet, it's a picture that you're meant to feel more than understand. It makes sure that you feel every visceral moment. In that sense, it's a total success. It's oddly engrossing, an energetic and bracing experience that takes no prisoners. It's bizarrely entertaining in its own way. It's unlike anything I've ever seen and all the better for it. 7/10.
    helpful•3
    0
    • Pjtaylor-96-138044
    • Jan 22, 2022

    FAQ1

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    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
    • 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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