“It is an iron rule of history that what looks inevitable in hindsight was far from obvious at the time.” Noah Harari might not have watched Brandon Cronenberg‘s most recent feature yet, Possessor, but his prophetic words resonate with this Possessor‘s depicts cinematically, albeit disturbingly. B. Cronenberg enthusiast may find it refreshing to see another sci-fi horror in line with Antiviral (2012) and a recent short film Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experience as They Come (2019); or some may see it as sequels to classics as Blade Runner (1982) – both readings are fitting. B. Cronenberg is not only cinematically fascinated with depicting who we are as subjects/species, but to use cinema to dig deeper into the unresolved millennial philosophical question of our free will and if external forces could tamper it.
Right from the outset, what depicts and amplifies the horror does not seem superficial. The opening brain implant and ensuing murder scenes immediately take the viewer to a world that begs so many questions, very unsettled ones. Vos (Andrea Riseborough) has a towering early presence continued towards the end of the film. Dialogues, music, lighting, projections, and coloring scenes throughout the film make the audience crave, not fear but clarity. Vos is an agent of a corporation who gets herself trapped in targets’ bodies and control them to assassinate other targets. She seems like a normal human being. Also, she is a mother and a wife who goes back to see her family, but something is taken deep inside. The sex scene in Possessor is revelatory; she stares aimlessly with little joy and emotion in her face. When the interface gets active and talks the last bits with the chief physician Gider (Jennifer Jason Leigh), another vile journey starts. She gets embedded herself into Colin’s mind, acted masterfully by Christopher Abbot. The rest is predictable and frightening, a cinematic horror feast, full of blood, gore, and violence. Nothing is normal anymore, even cinematically but would not this a NEW NORMAL?
Vos/Colin, who are two minds caged in one body, takes the plot forward and the rampage. The acting by Abbot was done so flawlessly. Risborough noted, “We are living and breathing next to one another. It is the first time in a negotiation with another person about the same character.” The chemistry in Possessor is unique and helps to depict a conflicted character whose gender and identity are both vanished. Then, the murders continue never-ending and the uncontrollable scientific experiment. The ominous final ending of the family’s demise was expected but too dark and not unexpected of the subplots and the storytelling. The film is viscerally touching, and it invites us to look back at the characters, actions, and internationality. B. Cronenberg collaborated again with the director of cinematography, a long-time collaborator ” Karim Hussain” to make it looks flawless; as commented, “One color idea that Karim and I found through experimenting was looping a gel over the lens…”
Possessor analysis can take many angles. It could be a rich philosophical treatise on the ethics of cinema turned into a film. It could be viewed as a blunt criticism of a world’s corporatization that aims to target our ontological existence through ruthless elimination. It could be seen as Coronberg’s fascination with the advent of technology and its impact on who we are as species? Can we pull the trigger at any time for any of our wild AI ideas? Are we allowed to invade someone’s privacy maximally? Can I get installed into my neighbour/mother’s body and have sex with my partners and come back? What is the future of implant technology? Could human subjectivity and collective ethics of our species stop the relentless intrusion of neuroscience into our lives? Could it even be desirable? B. Cronenberg depicted and left these questions open through a shrewd selection of characters, design, editing, and cinematography. He did not overdo violence and preached his vision. After watching Possessor, we may more hardly reflect if we would reject being a guinea pig for some comfort or money? If we are a scientist, we may also rethink what deems acceptable and what can go wrong. Cinema has once again spoken, Science has a chance to take note.
Grade: A-
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