possession (1982)

Okay. Shit. Wow. This movie is one of the most intense and amazing artistic headfucks I've ever experienced. I have no idea how its flown so far under the radar, unless the majority of people who've seen it just want to forget that they've seen it. Which I can understand. I can safely say that Adjani's subway scene is now permanently burned into my brain. And also: of course she won best actress at Cannes. Most other actors should be shamed by her level of commitment in this film.

Is there a comparable yin to this movie's yang? It's very of a piece with The Tenant and Inland Empire in that it very effectively immerses the viewer in the characters' descent into madness/fragmentation/loss of identity. The deep, dank, dark stuff. I'm just wracking my brain trying to come up with examples of films that present a similarly immersive approach in presenting a more joyful or ecstatic madness. Something of a palate cleanser in a theoretical double bill with Possession, if you will.

p sure there's a zulawski thread on ilx, milton parker is our resident expert

possession's rep is about right, if you buy into the ride it'll mess you up, but most ppl are put off and just go "I can't believe somebody made dis movie"

adjani subway scene is unbelievable, yes

this movie practically gave me a hangover

thread: Andrzej Zulawski

Awesome movie, love the way it's acted, everything works. Going to have to watch it again pretty soon.

yay, time to watch this again!

I want to see this, thought Sam Neill looked pretty hot in the trailer.

it is great! he is super weird. you will not be disappointed.

I just remember a lot of screaming.

This movie was INSANE

This is a great movie

no.

but i was basically with it til the last ten minutes.

so Heinz Bennent, Klaus Kinski, and Udo Kier walk into a bar...

hahahaha, WOW

I feel like most romantic dramas would be improved by the addition of Heinrich.

otm

watched this on Christmas!

RIP Zulawski

classic thread opening posts

three frames

I swear I've seen a music video or something with someone dancing with exactly the same motions as Isabelle Adjani in the subway scene. Kate Bush?

I rewatched this and Tree of Life in a single evening a few months back. Still don't think my head has fully reassembled itself.

(The incorrect '1982' in the thread title is like a hair fluttering in some indeterminate part of my peripheral vision. Make it go away!)

my favorite movie of all time

i saw a 35 mm print of it at the anthology film archives two months ago, it was one of the most singularly uncomfortable experiences of my life (mostly bc there is no air conditioning in that theater) (the movie is also a succession of discomforts before the spy stuff in the final act takes the wheel but i have seen it more than ten times now). the print was real rough at the start and then gradually cleaned itself up, the last half of it looked so gorgeous

It's at least all-time top ten for me, mos def.

heinrich, what a character

fundamentally vulgar structure, the triangle

>I swear I've seen a music video or something

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElvLZMsYXlo

it's supposed to be funny, right?

the heinrich stuff is def supposed to be funny

That's a good one Milton, but I've definitely never seen that video before! Whatever I'm half-remembering (if it even exists) involves someone doing exactly the spasmodic hands-in-front-of-face motions that she does at 1:20 in this video https://vimeo.com/129275251 , and exactly the arms down at sides torso-twisting while bending forward and back like what begins at 1:35, and likewise nearly identical motions to what she does at 2:10-2:30. I wouldn't normally pick it apart like this, but I swear it's something (movie? video?) I've seen several times! It's like it's on the tip of my tongue

oh jesus, it's going to turn out to be a nine inch nails video from the 90's or something isn't it

Holy shit, this film

BTW, the restoration for this is streaming on Shudder now.