Possession (1981)
Cinema Shock Roulette
"I can't exist by myself because I'm afraid of myself, because I'm the maker of my own evil."
In this episode, Justin & Gary take a look at Andrzej Żuławski's controversial 1981 cult film POSSESSION!
This existential relationship drama (slash body horror?), inspired by the director's own painful divorce, is an acting showcase for its stars, Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani, and up until the last few years, was almost impossible to find in the US in its original, unedited form.
This week, we'll take a detailed look at Żuławski's career in his native Poland, how he was forced to leave his home country by Poland's Communist government, and the circumstances that led to him filming a movie that Time Out called "extreme but essential viewing".
SYNOPSIS: A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.
CAST & CREW
Directed by: Andrzej Żuławski
Screenplay by: Andrzej Żuławski
Adaptation & Dialogue by: Andrzej Żuławski | Frederic Tuten
Produced by: Marie-Laure Reyre
Cast: Isabelle Adjani | Sam Neill | Heinz Bennent | Margit Carstensen | Johanna Hofer | Carl Duering | Shaun Lawton
Cinematography: Bruno Nuytten
Edited by: Marie-Sophi Dubus | Suzanne Lang-Willar
Music by: Andrzej Korzyński
Release Date: May 27, 1981 (France)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, and Justin Bishop.
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