Possession

Goodness is only some kind of reflection upon evil

Back in 1978, Andrzej Żuławski has offered Isabelle Adjani the double role, but she turned it down. Only after the birth of her first son, The Actress has agreed to act in this, to put it mildly, rather strange motion picture.

Mark comes back to his family in West Berlin. From the first minutes, it is obvious that his marriage with Anna is disintegrating. Anna denies any extramarital affairs, but Mark finds out and after throwing a tantrum in café, leaves the family. After three weeks, Mark pays visit to the apartment and finds out neglected son Bob. When Anna comes back, the couple gets into very ugly and violent confrontation. Going mad from jealousy and love, Mark hires a private detective.

Possession starts out as a rather over-the-top family drama: absent husband, sexually frustrated wife, love triangle and son in the middle of it. Nevertheless, after the first eight minutes, Andrzej Żuławski begins to gradually build tension and create atmosphere of the madness. Mark and Anna are starting very violent arguments, autosadism. Despite all of this, Mark still loves Anna and would do anything to get her love back. I think a lot of viewers would think that Mark and Anna should separate, but minute after minute Possession drags you further and further. After the first half, Andrzej Żuławski makes the U-turn,

What I miscarried there was sister Faith, and what was left is sister Chance. So I had to take care of my faith to protect it

The over-the-top family drama stops and starts something, which could’t be categorized in just one genre. The second half of Possession, one could say, is the mix of horror, parable, psychological thriller and philosophic film essay.   

The detective and Mark finds out that into the so-called love nest lives The Thing, fed with corpses, which morphs into the human. Anna tells the bizarre story of its birth.

Andrzej Żuławski adds the favorite Dostoevsky theme – the lack of faith and it’s surrogates. All members of a love triangle are trying to make-up for their lack of faith: Mark by his mad love to Anna; Heinrich by drugs and dzen-buddism; Anna goes even further and creates her own God. Concerning Anna, you could even quote a passage of Kirillov from «The Possessed»: « God is the pain of the fear of death. Whoever conquers pain and fear will himself become God. Then a new life, then a new man, everything new...»

The duality theme plays a vital part in this film, starting with Berlin and the Berlin Wall. Also Mark meets Bob’s schoolteacher Helena, the complete copy of Anna, who is kind, sweet and have a true affection for a boy. The duality theme is used as in a classical literature – good and bad side; thesis and antithesis.

The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun

Isabelle Adjani has earned her place in the Pantheon after «The Story of Adelie H.», but Possession deserves a second statue, in analogy with a Roman triumph, on the Forum of Cinema. You can’t measure The Actress work by acting school standards:  it is not a method acting, it is not any other school; it is Isabelle Adjani’s acting. The Actress has widened the scope of a human possibility in acting; her body language and facial expression captures every aspect of Anna’s psychological condition.   The subway scene provokes a mixed feeling of disgust and amazement. It is hard to believe, that Isabelle Adjani never formally studied acting and after the film, you really begin to appreciate her acting genius.  

I always thought that Sam Neil is good, but rather mediocre actor. Although, in Possession he also showed brilliant acting. Even the simplest Neil’s scenes are filled with madness. For Sam Neil, his «acting Rubicon» was the opening sequence of his secluded life. Heinz Bennent was also good, but his role was rather supporting.

Bruno Nuytten camera takes a vital part into creating the atmosphere of madness. The camera, which is constantly following the characters, makes a 180 or 360 degrees turn and perfectly captures the inner world of the protagonists. The carefree editing style, which gone into a fashion again and annoys, perfectly suits this film.

Possession is a film that disgusts; it is a very tough challenge to watch it. Nevertheless, if you watch this film, you shall never forget it.

9/10

L'histoire d'Adèle H.

Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.

This proverb, wrongly misattributed to Euripides, could easily be attributed to the unrequited love.

Francois Truffaut wanted to film the diaries of Adelie Hugo’s  for seven years. He had constantly changed actresses for the main role, until he saw Isabelle Adjani in «La Gifle». The actress was approved despite the fact that a 19-year old Isabelle Adjani would play a 30-year old woman. 

«The Story of Adelie H.» you could name, in analogy with theatre, a one-person film. Despite the fact that other actors also did a good job, the only actor who draws all attention is Isabelle Adjani.

Isabelle Adjani throws herself completely into Adelie Hugo. She shows every aspect of Adelie’s mental disintegration. The director and cinematographer uses many close-ups in order to show Adjani’s face, her superb facial expression, especially at the final scene in Barbados, when grief-stricken Adelie walks down Barbados with a completely blank face.

Francois Truffaut had chosen the perfect metaphor for progressing insanity of Adelie – nearsightedness. At first, Adelie’s eye vision is correct, but as her possession progresses she see less and less in terms of eyesight and sanity.

Another motive of this film is a contrast. Adelie’s descend into madness is shown by her love interest – Lt Pinson – gambler, lecher and womanizer. Lt’s antipode is the bookseller with certain crush on the main heroine shown as a decent man and who could become her husband. Even casting of Isabelle Adjani is, in some aspects, contrast – such beautiful woman is obsessed with such unworthy man.

«The Story of Adelie H.» has a gloomy atmosphere in a complete contrast with optimism of «Day for Night». The grey town,  the constant sleep drowning of Adelie, the eternal darkness of Halifax, the misery and poverty of Barbados – there is no place for poor Adelie into this cruel and wicked world.

Because of this, you do not feel any falsehood during the watch, compared with many other films. You feel sympathy and compassion towards Adelie and while watching the scene when grief-stricken Adjani cries into the carriage your heart would bleed at least. Every person who loved at least once would find something into this film.

Enclosing, I would like to thank Francois Truffaut for opening Isabelle Adjani’s acting genius to the world audience. I think that after «The Story of Adelie H.», Adjani could have retired from acting because this role has already written her name into the history books. Nevertheless, she had continued her brilliant acting career and has only given joy to her fans all over the world (me included). It is a pity that Isabelle Adjani was passed over for Cesar and Oscar in 1976, but her five Cesars, double prize for the best actress at the Cannes and other innumerable awards are already expecting her.

10/10