‘Possessor’ review: Technological body horror runs in the family
Brandon Cronenberg’s impressive sci-fi horror film has streaks of influence from his father’s work, as well as a variety of other contemporary sources
It is a bit hard to recommend Possessor. That’s not to say there’s nothing to enjoy about it — in fact, I liked it quite a lot. Rather, to many viewers, I can almost guarantee much of what Brandon Cronenberg presents on screen may be too much for some viewers, particularly the more squeamish ones. I hardly think of myself as particularly uncomfortable with depictions of blood and gore, but some of the sequences in Possessor are a little bit much for me.
I think the thing about the violence in this film is that it feels very real. I think the realness of it is absolutely necessary to the message that it tries to tell overall, but there are some truly grotesque sequences in Possessor. The comparisons to Brandon’s legendary father, David Cronenberg, are always going to be apparent, yet I cannot claim that their styles are identical. The violence and gore of his father David Cronenberg’s world feels comparatively more over-the-top yet nonetheless disturbing compared with Brandon Cronenberg’s latest. The violence is very tangible and disturbingly attainable and, almost like the titular program of Videodrome, the violence on screen almost seems too real to be faked.
I preface my review with this discussion of the violence because I think it’ll be a big reason that people turn away from this film, be that before they see it or during. It’s also worth noting that this has maybe the most explicit and continuous nudity of any film I’ve seen. But nonetheless, Possessor fully showcases Brandon Cronenberg’s potential as a filmmaker that will surely only coalesce as his promise develops, while certainly taking inspiration from his father and many other sources of sci-fi and horror films.
The most striking thing about Possessor at first is how familiar it feels. Not in a bad way per say, but the influences of other films from recent and distant memory are clear from the get go. Karim Hussain’s crisp, boldly coloured cinematography is quite reminiscent of the work of Roger Deakins on Blade Runner 2049, and the comparisons with David Cronenberg’s filmography are, as previously discussed, going to be apparent. But Possessor never feels like a cheap imitation, but instead a collection of influences that combine into an off putting yet utterly engaging sci-fi horror film. The film follows Tasya Vos, a corporate killer who infiltrates the minds of subjects to undertake high-level assassinations. Played with an understated melancholy by Andrea Riseborough, Tasya is clearly beginning to feel the strains of the program and the stresses of family life. Her next assignment, in which she is to inhabit the body of Colin Tate, future son-in-law to tech CEO and target John Parse, proves to be one of her most difficult yet.
The narrative concept of the film is legitimately intriguing and rather disturbing in its execution, although I don’t think it quite reaches its full potential. The film moves along really quickly, which is good for the pacing and keeping the film interesting but it doesn’t give many of its threads a chance to breathe. The whole aspect of possessing in the film is certainly explained well enough though, and its simplicity makes it easy to understand. It’s mainly the plot that suffers a bit with the nearly-frantic pace of the film, particularly hand-in-hand with the editing. Where the film is headed is telegraphed pretty significantly in advance too, and some more subtle editing may have helped the final twists and turns of the film to hit a little harder.
However, that’s about where my complaints with the film end. Besides a variety of minor qualms, Possessor is a great horror thriller that continues to shock, engage and terrify the audience with its unique narrative, stellar performances and impressive technical ability. Although Riseborough portrays the main character, the character of Tasya is inhabiting the mind of Colin for most of the film. Christopher Abbot, who portrays Colin, is seriously impressive in this role, perfectly capturing a wide range of emotions and the feeling of a mind being frayed into two. The other performances are also great, including a very comparatively normal performance from Tupper Middleton, as well as an incredibly smug one from Sean Bean. The cinematography in this film is also genuinely impressive (any comparison to Blade Runner 2049 is not a bad one) as well as the score and much of the depictions of onscreen violence. Seriously, I don’t even know how you would go about making this stuff because it is so grotesquely realistic that it is often difficult to watch. Although the violence is certainly in brutal excess, it leads into notions of trauma and the corruption of the mind with technology. It is unflinching, but never inappropriate.
Although I’m sure the comparisons to his father must kill him, Brandon Cronenberg looks to be continuing the family tradition of disturbing explorations of the body and technology in a way that few contemporary filmmakers do, or could. Possessor is a strong example of the junior Cronenberg’s potential as a filmmaker, and it’s apparent that he already has such a strong command over his craft. I, for one, will certainly be intrigued to see where Brandon goes next after this film, and although it doesn’t all completely mesh here, there is definitely serious potential for the new generation of Cronenberg to cement his name in filmmaking like his father before him. Possessor is a quality second feature film from an incredibly promising director and is definitely worth your time — if you think you can stomach it.
8/10
