Rating: 
Summary: Just Short of Brilliant
Review: "Possession," directed by Andrzej Zulawski and starring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani, is a film that falls just short of extraordinary. Mark (Sam) and Anna (Isabella)are married and have clearly seen better days. Suspecting someone else in her life, he sets out to find who she is having an extramarital affair with. Upon searching, he finds a postcard from a man by the name of Heinrich (Heinz Bennent). Yet to his surprise, though she has been sleeping with him in the past, he has not seen her recently as he has been gone for several weeks. Further investigation reveals that Anna, aside from not seeing Heinrich lately, has also not been with her friend Margit (Margit Carstensen) as Mark had assumed. He then hires private investigators to follow his wife around and from there he eventually comes to discover that his wife, unknown to either Heinrich or himself, has given birth to a demon whom she makes incestual love with constantly. As the private investigators found out, she will murder anyone who gets in their way. This bizarre and nasty twist makes what would normally be considered a generic storyline, interesting. The acting is remarkably good, both Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani give excellent performances. You can almost feel the internal struggle with Anna and her inner torment over choosing between her family and her demon lover and Mark's confliction over the woman he has loved for so long and the increasing repulsiveness with which he views her erratic and odd behavior. There are also some incredible scenes that give the film a macabre beauty not often seen, such as the very colorful subway miscarriage sequence and the brief but hot demon sex scene at the end. Some people can give praise all they want about how incredibly deep and meaningful the movie is and it very well may be, however, though the directorial style is quality, the film is confusing, unfortunately leaving a lot of questions unanswered. It would be a brilliant horror masterpiece if only the extra effort had been taken to make it more comprehensible. The melodrama/psychodrama, though confusing, is still an intriguing film. Made so by disturbingly believable acting and bizarre scenes that, though grotesque, are wickedly enticing.
Rating: 
Summary: use your imagination
Review: "Possession" is unlike any other horror film in that it requires the viewer to draw their own conclusions. To some, this is a frustrating technique. I however, tip my hat to Zulawski for creating something so unique. This film was made in the early 80s when Berlin was divided with the wall. The symbolisim of Berlin at the time (good vs. evil, freedom vs. confinement, faith vs. athiesm) is a constant reminder throughout the film. Isabelle Adjani won both a César and the Cannes award for her role as a tormented woman. Both awards were well deserved, for this was probably the most difficult role she ever had to play. Her moments leading up to the creation of "the creature" are absolutely terrifying. Hopefully this is the original European release (127 minutes) and not the butchered atrocity released in the US back in the 80s (80-something minutes).
Rating: 
Summary: A distorted look into the mirror of love-- a must!
Review: After many years of acquiring a cult status of mythical proportions, Zulawski's "Possession" finally comes to the viewers as it was originally supposed to be seen.This is not an easy movie to see or to understand -- and I suppose it neither was easy to write or film. The characters are severely neurotic and seem to thrive on their bizarre behaviour (in more ways than one) yet they are somehow all too human. Like the movie ultimately suggests (once you get to see the secret trick the movie plays on the two leads), this story may be like looking into a mirror, though dark and distorted. Meet Mark (Sam Neill), an overworked man with a mysterious job that takes him "to far away places". Meet his lovely wife, Anna (an overwhelmingly beautiful Isabelle Adjani), a sexually frustrated housewife and former ballet instructor who has much more than meets the eye going on for her. Between quarrels and reconciliations, these two share a nice apartment in a quiet and well-to-do district of Berlin and have a five year old son, Bob, but they also share a horror that no one could have suspected, and that will make all their fantasies and nightmares come true. After being brutally butchered by Vestron Video for its original release, "Possession" has been restored to its original lenght and sequence, therefore becoming coherent for the viewers who used to find it mind-numbingly strange. I think of it as a very unique piece of craftmanship, part Ingmar Bergman drama, part Polanski suspense thriller, part Dario Argento gore, part Kubrick satire, part Buñuel surrealism and still somehow, very much its own. The camera angles, the direction, the strange whims and seizures that seem to take over the characters (including one memorable and disturbing scene on a subway station with Adjani pulling all the stops not ontly to her acting abilities but to her physical strength too) are part of a very strange style Zulawski has to tell his story. If you are accustomed to standard horror fare, then probably you will dismiss this movie as pretentious eurotrash (something it has been labeled off as countless times) but if you're game and follow the sequences and let your imagination be ensnared this will be a convulsive ride to the depths of emotion where you won't emerge as the same person. And quite possibly, that's what all horror movies are really about at heart. As a footnote: Isabelle Adjani won a very deserved Gold Palm at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for her dual role in this film that, no matter how much you loved it or hated it, is still unforgettable. The quality of the DVD in picture and sound is also of note.
Rating:
Summary: A distorted look into the mirror of love-- a must!
Review: After many years of acquiring a cult status of mythical proportions, Zulawski's "Possession" finally comes to the viewers as it was originally supposed to be seen. This is not an easy movie to see or to understand -- and I suppose it neither was easy to write or film. The characters are severely neurotic and seem to thrive on their bizarre behaviour (in more ways than one) yet they are somehow all too human. Like the movie ultimately suggests (once you get to see the secret trick the movie plays on the two leads), this story may be like looking into a mirror, though dark and distorted. Meet Mark (Sam Neill), an overworked man with a mysterious job that takes him "to far away places". Meet his lovely wife, Anna (an overwhelmingly beautiful Isabelle Adjani), a sexually frustrated housewife and former ballet instructor who has much more than meets the eye going on for her. Between quarrels and reconciliations, these two share a nice apartment in a quiet and well-to-do district of Berlin and have a five year old son, Bob, but they also share a horror that no one could have suspected, and that will make all their fantasies and nightmares come true. After being brutally butchered by Vestron Video for its original release, "Possession" has been restored to its original lenght and sequence, therefore becoming coherent for the viewers who used to find it mind-numbingly strange. I think of it as a very unique piece of craftmanship, part Ingmar Bergman drama, part Polanski suspense thriller, part Dario Argento gore, part Kubrick satire, part Buñuel surrealism and still somehow, very much its own. The camera angles, the direction, the strange whims and seizures that seem to take over the characters (including one memorable and disturbing scene on a subway station with Adjani pulling all the stops not ontly to her acting abilities but to her physical strength too) are part of a very strange style Zulawski has to tell his story. If you are accustomed to standard horror fare, then probably you will dismiss this movie as pretentious eurotrash (something it has been labeled off as countless times) but if you're game and follow the sequences and let your imagination be ensnared this will be a convulsive ride to the depths of emotion where you won't emerge as the same person. And quite possibly, that's what all horror movies are really about at heart. As a footnote: Isabelle Adjani won a very deserved Gold Palm at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for her dual role in this film that, no matter how much you loved it or hated it, is still unforgettable. The quality of the DVD in picture and sound is also of note.
Rating:
Summary: This movie drove me mad depressed.
Review: All the stuff going on , when they all go crazy. The director was going true a divorce at that time so he was reflecting a bit is situation, i guess in the movie they exagerated it a bit. Good to see one time but after that not much to come back too.
Rating:
Summary: Lovecraftian, Cold War, Euro-horror art film about divorce
Review: Although a horror film, we don't much see the monster. Most of the film focuses on the trauma of marital breakup -- and I've never seen a more uncompromising film on this subject ("The Good Mother" comes close). Shot in West Berlin around the Berlin Wall, it also features Cold War imagery and symbolism. And bland, antiseptic buildings and furnishings (symbolizing the repressed emotions beneath the surface calm?). The husband is a spy, and spends much time abroad. The wife has an affair. The husband is angry, gets violent, doesn't know what to do. The wife is angry, doesn't know what she wants. Her (bizarre, hypocritical, psychotic) lover grows angry when he discovers that she has yet another lover (a Lovecraftian beast, who is her spawn, hence incest, and growing into a doppleganger). This is not an enjoyable film, but it's compelling. Typical of a "northern aesthetic" horror art that comes from northern continental Europe, and Canada. Films about strong emotions and desires that are repressed beneath cold impersonal architecture, furnishings, and mannerisms, and which eventually explode in crime, sex, and gore. It's an aesthetic practiced by Canada's David Cronenberg, and in the Dutch film "The Lift," and in "The Fourth Man." (I think Cronenberg's "The Brood" is the finest film of this aesthetic.)
Rating:
Summary: What a FREAKIN' Trip!
Review: Anchor Bay has done it again with this incredible presentation of Zulawski's 1981 horror-sex thriller. Ya, I saw the edited 80 minute U.S. version in the theater and also this uncut 123 minute version on bootleg video years ago, but now Anchor Bay presents a beautiful letterboxed DVD of the film that rivals all. If you haven't seen this movie about a woman who gives birth to a tentacled monster who she sleeps with...you don't know what you're missing! It's a camp riot, although it does have some creepy moments, and this Uncut version is the only way to go. One of my favorite scenes is the very long abortion sequence with Adjani in the subway which always leaves me in hysterics! There's so much flair and histrionics going on throughout this film that you will DEFINITELY not be bored ---- it's a great ridiculous ride into Euro-Horror. Adjani is completely Wacky and the creature effects are slimy and there's gore and sex. Even bland Sam Neill has more personality than usual. It's an incredible ride --- sometimes intensely silly, over-acted and flamboyant --- but it's definitely one-of-a-kind. If you like euro-trash, you'll most likely eat this up. Other viewers may shake their heads in disbelief. The DVD also has the international and US trailers (both good) and a commentary by the director. Check this one out!
Rating:
Summary: Un underrated must
Review: As Sam Neill himself once said about this movie, "POSSESSION" is about how love can make monsters of us all. Simply one of the most disturbing and intriguing suspense and horror movies ever conceived, based around the unsurpassed and electrifying performance of Isabelle Adjani (Anna) in her dual evil/good role, a then lesser know but brilliant Sam Neill (Mark) and a great almost subliminal music score by Andzrej Korsynski. Add to all that Carlo Rambaldi (ET) special effects in just the correct dose (unlike these days overworked hollywood style) and you get to see a movie that deserves so much talk as THE EXORCIST no less. The subway sequence will possibly take long hours of sleep away from you. Not to be missed in any way. Climb those stairs, wear those pink socks and hear the bells announcing the end.
Rating: 
Summary: terrible
Review: avoid this movie at all costs. words cant describe the horrendous acting by sam n in this one, and i enjoy his movies. word of advice, AVOID THIS MOVIE
Rating: 
Summary: A boring, pretentious mess
Review: First and foremost, don't believe the hype about "Possession." It is a talky, confusing, and ultimately pretentious bore of a movie. The problem with the film is that there was so much potential for the film, but it just falls flat. Zulawski presents so many fascinating ideas in the film (such as one's repressed sexual frusration manifesting itself into otherworldly horror) but the film just drowns in it's own self-importance, and the opportunity for the ideas to be fascinating is doused by the boring dialogue and pacing. To be sure, this is an art film, and it was purposely constructed to have a twisty, challenging and unconventional plot, but Zulawski's ideas are simply too deep to be in such an abstract film. If the film had contained more traditional cinematic trappings (easy to follow plot and writing), Zulawski's ideas would have been able to grow more satisfyingly. What the viewer is left with is endless shouting bouts between Neil and Adjani (which wear thin on the viewer's patience), and a growing frustration towards the film. Many supporters of the film claim that it's charm lays in it's multi-layered plot and symbolism that is only truly understood (and enjoyed) like many other entries in bizarre Euro cult fare by repeated viewings. Maybe so, but the film doesn't present any compelling reasons to view the film again, because one must retread through long stretches of boredom and incomprehensible acting (and a soggy running time of 123 minutes). Also, if you are thinking of viewing this movie because it is a shock-fest, you will be sorely disappointed. The "monster" and sexual depraviy in the film is really kept to a minimum, and there is much more build-up and the ideas are mostly left to your imagination. Possibly the worst failure of all is that the slime monster seems to be an after-thought to the rest of the film, since that wrinkle of the storytelling is only truly exposed at the very end. What the viewer is left with is a confusing and unfulfilling psycho/sexual drama, with a horror ending tacked on. But there ARE some redeeming qualities in the film (which elevate it to 2 stars). Zulawski's direction is superb, thankfully avoiding the show-off directional antics of many an art filmmaker. The direction is mature and controlled, and still manages to present some astonishing compositions and sequences. But once again, this asset is also one of "Possession"'s problems: it merely hints at how good the film COULD be, if it were reworked. As it stands, "Possession" is a sloppy, mostly unintersting (but not unstylish) mess of a movie, that stands out more of an unfinished sampling of ideas more than a film.
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