Film Review: Possessor (2020)

As the son of legendary director David Cronenberg, Brandon Cronenberg had big shoes to fill and after a smaller feature directorial debut, looks to have his breakout hit with Possessor. Following a woman named Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) who through a futuristic technology takes over the bodies of other individuals and use them to pull off assassinations. Possessor stands out as a thought provoking and stylistic blend of High Life and Inception that is as technically impressive as it is thematically rewarding.

In the terms of style and visual artistry, it doesn’t get much better than the work done in Possessor. Using a stunning color pallet and thoughtful cinematography from Karim Hussain, the visuals within Possessor stand out as some of the most well crafted and genuinely breathtaking visuals of the year so far. Way more than just blinding its characters with neon lights, Possessor is surprisingly subtle with its beauty for the majority of the runtime, which makes the visually louder sequences stand out even more.

The editing job in the film from Matthew Hannam also is flawless. Finding a wonderful balance between teasing the audience with haunting visuals and actually giving a rewarding visual experience, which never falls into feeling like a gimmick. These elements are not only clear signs of these individual’s talents, but also of a clear direction from Brandon Cronenberg, who proves himself able to craft Daedalean and high concept stories while keeping a firm grasp on the narrative being explored.

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Unlike other films with a similar standout visual style in recent memory, Possessor is far from being a film so concerned with its style that it loses its substance. With clear parallels to Christopher Nolan’s 2010 masterclass Inception, Possessor is a layered expression of mortality and consciousness both thematically and practically. Possessor is a film that never holds the audience’s hand when it comes to explaining exactly what is happening, allowing them to put details together with the help of the visual storytelling present within the film.

That, and the screenplay, also from Brandon Cronenberg, are so strong that where Possessor might be confusing as multiple points, it feels like that is by choice rather than because of incompetence and the depth within the film. Naturally finding its way to the audience in a story that is understandable without trading in its daring narrative.

Where the work behind the camera absolutely should be applauded for the effectiveness the film finds, credit also has to be given to the work done in front of the camera. Andrea Riseborough is a well crafted mix of vulnerable and powerful making her character as an experienced assassin who is losing control completely believable.

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In the opposite corner of the film stands Christopher Abbott. Naturally Abbott has a complicated task ahead of him, having to play a man who has been taken over by Riseborough’s, character. Meaning he not only has to share the same basic mannerisms as Riseborough but also have his own complexities due to the nature of various plot details – which sadly cannot be fully explored here.

Without giving anything away, it should be said that by the end of the film Abbott truly finds one of the most emotionally captivating and powerful performances of the year so far sucking the audience into the drama the film has to offer wonderfully. Abbott’s ability to control a scene, when mixed with the visual power of the film, becomes a true work of art.

Possessor immediately rises to the top as one of the best films of the year so far. It is a complex film that requires an actively engaging audience, but also gives enough to where the viewing experience will be rewarding rather than frustrating. A film that is confident in its artistic craft without falling into a pretentiousness, which seems to be plaguing similar feeling films as of recent. It isn’t afraid to push the line, but also understands where the line is and is careful not to go over it. For those who can handle a gory and graphically violent film with a complex narrative at play, Possessor is nearly must watch and will only get better as time goes on.