You must see the incredibly surreal cult favorite Possession

I must say, I strongly suggest diving into Possession without preconceived notions. Avoid trailers. Don’t even finish this article. Go view it immediately on Shudder, Criterion, or Metrograph. It’s also accessible through Kanopy or Hoopla if your library grants access. Then return here for a discussion in the comments. Although this might not be suitable for the faint-hearted.

Caution: Spoilers ahead.

Possession is a type of movie that can be hard to comprehend even if you know the entire storyline. After viewing it twice, tuning into three different podcasts, and absorbing various articles about it, I still find myself uncertain about specific events in the film. All I know is that I adored it.

You are thrust right into a narrative of a deteriorating marriage occurring amidst the Berlin Wall. It represents a powerful metaphor for the separation between the stars — a youthful and strikingly charming Sam Neill (Mark), and Isabelle Adjani (Anna), who delivers one of the most unique and disturbing portrayals in cinematic history. Observing Adjani on screen is demanding — she oscillates between unsettling detachment and frenzied delirium with remarkable intensity and speed. It’s the kind of performance that, upon learning it essentially left Adjani with PTSD, it doesn’t come as a shock.

The third remarkable performance comes from Heinz Bennent, who portrays Heinrich, the individual Mark suspects Anna is abandoning him for. He glides through each scene like an inebriated ballet performer, and there’s something almost Wiseau-esque about his acting. (It certainly doesn’t aid that he continually repeats Mark’s name.) In a more realistic film, his erratic movements would seem ludicrous. But in the surreal nightmare of Possession, Bennent seamlessly integrates into the chaos, oscillating between attacking Mark and making advances towards him.

Director Andrzej Żuławski not only elicits beautifully unhinged performances from his actors, but he also constructs live-action artworks. Mark and Ana sit in a café corner on a bench, avoiding eye contact as they negotiate their separation. (Before Mark erupts through the café, flinging chairs and tables in a legendary meltdown.) Sam Neill forcefully swings a rocking chair back and forth as the focal point skillfully follows him. The film is visually stunning.

That is, until it becomes nightmarish.

What commences as a bad psychedelic experience surrounding a disintegrating marriage evolves into a jarring body horror in its latter half. It is unveiled that Anna isn’t departing from Mark for Heinrich. In reality, Heinrich is equally desperate to win Anna back, to locate her and possess her. Conversely, she is involved with what Anna Bogutskaya (host of The Final Girls podcast and author of Feeding the Monster) refers to as a “Lovecraftian sex monster.”

It’s a grotesque amalgamation of tentacles, oozing openings, and eerie humanoid characteristics, crafted by Carlo Rambaldi, who earned Academy Awards for special effects work on Alien and ET. It preys on people. Their bodies, as well as their souls. Anna seems to perceive it as a kind of divinity, something sacred. She utilizes it to delve into aspects of herself she has suppressed or lost in her relationship with Mark.

The other men in her life fail to fulfill her, so she creates a perfect partner. What begins as a slippery being, reminiscent of the baby in Eraserhead, ultimately transforms into a doppelgänger of Mark.

Then there’s the subway sequence. If you’ve ever come across Possession, it’s likely due to this segment. Adjani flails in a deserted tunnel, grunting, howling, convulsing, before bleeding and spewing who-knows-what over the slick concrete floor. As a viewer, I feel depleted afterward. It’s three of the most powerful minutes ever captured on film, and even if the remainder of the movie were subpar, Possession would be worth the watch just for this moment.

There are numerous interpretations of this film. I still don’t fully grasp what occurs in the finale. Did their son Bob take his own life? Is Mark’s doppelgänger the antichrist? Is Helen also a doppelgänger? (I suspect so.) What’s the situation with Heinrich’s mother? Is Anna possessed? Or is the titular possession about the men in her life attempting to claim ownership over her?

In the month since I initially viewed this film, I’ve raved about it to everyone in my circle. I can’t stop contemplating it or discussing it.