Possessor — Possessor
Released in last year Possessor is the second feature-length film from Brandon Cronenberg, who of course is the son of infamous Canadian auteur David Cronenberg. Brandon both wrote & directed the film, and there’s no doubt it’s a sleek & often troubling film that mangers to blend together elements of thriller, Sci-fi, and grimly trippy-to-brutal horror in often jarring & head-spinning manner. There are of course nods towards his fathers work here, but I’d say we more in Nicolas Winding Refn or Isabella Eklöf territory- with its blend of taut vapidity & explosion of brutal violence, but with more subtle Sci-fi elements in place.
It’s fair to say Possessor has been one of the more hyped genre films in recent memory- where ever you drop down horror or Sci-fi related on the web, you’ll see the poster artwork or mentions of the film- so I was very, very keen to check out Possessor. And now after finally seeing it- I’ll say I was impressed, though not blown away. Some of this is of course down to the over-hype, but some is down to it's mix of at times plodding/repetitive-unfold, haphazard genre blending, and slightly predictable/ clichéd plot points & twists.
The film lead character is Tasya Vos(Andrea Riseborough) who is body jumping assassins. She works for a shadowy organisation- who kidnaps people who have access to their targets, then puts implants in their brain so Vos, or other team members can body-jump. Vos is divorced, though still occasionally pines to be back living with her husband & her son. The film features several body jumps- but the main one is twenty-something Colin Tate(Christopher Abbott), who is the latest boyfriend of Ava (Tuppence Middleton) whose the daughter of obnoxious & brash corporate boss John Parse- whose played in wonderful smug & pompous fashion by Sean Bean. I won’t detail the plot further- as much of the films effect & impact is down to it’s unfold, and the often jarring tonal shift.
Andrea Riseborough is good enough as the drawn & internally troubled Vos, though at points she comes off a little one-note & bland. Abbot & Middleton are fairly convincing as the lead couple, but I’d say the stand out here is Bean- who great in his nasty smugness. The film's soundtrack is fairly predictable in its blend of edgy electro-acoustics & forlorn piano moodiness. But there’s no doubt Cronenberg has a penchant for both gruellingly brutal violence, and grim-tripness- which certainly keeps you held when things start to lag.
I recall been somewhat underwhelmed by Brandon Cronenberg’s first film 2012’s Antiviral, as it felt a little too close to his fathers work. And there’s no doubt Possessor is a real step-up, as he largely steps away from his fathers shadow- with the film featuring effective moments of shocking violence, stark/ dreamy surrealism, and unsettling vapidity- it’s just not quite the masterpiece, or game changer some will have you believe.