I love ambiguity in films. Which is why Haneke's "Cache," "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock" all rank very highly amongst my favourite films. It's great when filmmakers give viewers credit and allow them to draw their own conclusions or search for their own meaning. Unfortunately, for "Possession," I don't really care enough about the characters to want to go through the mental gymnastics required to dig out the deeper meaning hidden in this film.
It's apparent early on in the film that much of the action is allegorical or meant to reflect the internal emotions of a couple going through a divorce. (God, I hope so. If it's meant to be a literal story, it's a monumental fail. A really annoying horror film.) If only there were an honest moment where you got to feel that these are real characters who perhaps were once a real couple with a real connection before the film slipped into allegory. A marriage can't slowly disintegrate if it never happened.
And it's disappointing, because I really like Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill, and rate them both as actors. They obviously put everything into their performances, which must have been very demanding, the only reason I can conjure up a few stars for this one. That and the special effects, which are super creepy and hold up well more than 30 years later. Oh, and the amazing German architecture.
But there are too many reasons it's hard to take this film seriously. The over-the-top acting, goofy choreography, elaborate camera moves for inconsequential moments, closeups so tight they managed to make even Isabelle Adjani look bad, soundtrack that's completely ripped off from "The Godfather." There were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments that I'm certain weren't meant that way.
Perhaps the filmmaker meant it as purely art, and it's raw emotion splattered on the screen. But my takeaway was, it's hopelessly dense. Every scene, every action, every movement, every word is imbued with a deeper meaning that, unfortunately, can only be deciphered by the filmmaker, and leaves the viewer with little more than the visceral experiences played out on the screen.
It's apparent early on in the film that much of the action is allegorical or meant to reflect the internal emotions of a couple going through a divorce. (God, I hope so. If it's meant to be a literal story, it's a monumental fail. A really annoying horror film.) If only there were an honest moment where you got to feel that these are real characters who perhaps were once a real couple with a real connection before the film slipped into allegory. A marriage can't slowly disintegrate if it never happened.
And it's disappointing, because I really like Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill, and rate them both as actors. They obviously put everything into their performances, which must have been very demanding, the only reason I can conjure up a few stars for this one. That and the special effects, which are super creepy and hold up well more than 30 years later. Oh, and the amazing German architecture.
But there are too many reasons it's hard to take this film seriously. The over-the-top acting, goofy choreography, elaborate camera moves for inconsequential moments, closeups so tight they managed to make even Isabelle Adjani look bad, soundtrack that's completely ripped off from "The Godfather." There were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments that I'm certain weren't meant that way.
Perhaps the filmmaker meant it as purely art, and it's raw emotion splattered on the screen. But my takeaway was, it's hopelessly dense. Every scene, every action, every movement, every word is imbued with a deeper meaning that, unfortunately, can only be deciphered by the filmmaker, and leaves the viewer with little more than the visceral experiences played out on the screen.