If you like watching people scream at each other at the tops of their lungs, this film is for you. Though there is nothing subtle about their performances, both Sam Neill and Isabella Adjani are terrific actors, taking their characters just shy of what would be a cartoonishly over-the-top portrayal of a young couple's slow, destructive breakup. I could probably sympathize more with Sam Neill's Mark as he confronts the impending loss of his wife than I could with Anna's bizarre obsession with the worldly, smartass Heinrich and his metaphorical doppelganger in the decayed flat, obviously intended as a symbol of ugly, forbidden lust. Trapped in the middle of this noisy mess is the couple's gentle young son Bob, who is so horrified by the climactic confrontation among the characters that he does something drastic and painful to watch. Don't watch this film if you're depressed, it's not going to cheer you up. Watch it instead with a sense of detachment, and see the characters for what they are: human beings trapped by their own terrible life choices.
Review of Possession
