POSSESSION

Mark (Sam Neill) returns to East Germany following an undisclosed mission working as an agent for the government. His arrival at his modest apartment home is met with ambiguity by aloof wife Anna (Isabelle Adjani).

It soon transpires that Anna is having an affair. Mark is understandably miffed and struggles to cope with her frequent disappearances to see her mystery lover. He just-to-say manages to hold things together for the sake of his beloved son Bob (Michael Hogben), with a little help from Anna's friend Margit (Margit Carstensen) - whom he openly loathes.

When Mark finally raises the energy to confront tantric lover Heinrich (Heinz Bennett) he discovers, following a violent altercation, that Anna has not visited him in some time. The truth is far more bizarre ...

Monster sex. Adjani going spastic in her Award-Winning dual role (she also portrays Bob's schoolteacher Helen). Inappropriate use of an electric carving knife. Sam Neill going demented with a full-on beard. A secret agent distinguished only by his pink socks. All these and more contribute towards POSSESSION's intense, unfurling madness.

They help mark it as one of the most distinctive and fascinating genre films of the 1980s, and yet it is so much more. It also stands as arguably cult director Andrej Zulawski's most accessible film to date.

The story, as bizarre as it is, is far more linear than the likes of his THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT or LA FEMME PUBLIQUE and dialogue flows in a manner that films such as DIABEL and ON THE SILVER GLOBE deliberately lacked.

So it's definitely the easiest of Zulawksi's films to become attuned to, to attain an involvement with. That doesn't make it any less rich in subtext, or any less surreal than the remainder of his curiously enthralling oeuvre.

The film's most obvious metaphor is that of post-Cold War Europe as a place of paranoia and isolation. The oppressiveness is felt in every line of angst-ridden dialogue (co-written with Zulawski by American author Frederic Tuten), each decaying exterior location. Alongside this is the breakdown of the central marriage, symbolising the distancing of opposing political walls. Taken more literally, this aspect also serves as horror cinema's most visceral take on the pain of divorce since David Cronenberg's own open wound, THE BROOD. Another similarity to that film is how the anguish of the lead character is manifested physically through an ugly birth process.

Themes of motherhood, deceit, guilt, belonging (Nationally, politically and individually), redemption and basic needs further POSSESSION's ability to be read in many ways. It's also interesting to consider that the film's title could easily refer to the couple's tussle over custody of Bob. The all-encompassing concept that wraps POSSESSION up though, as far as I can see, is identity. It's a theme that is questioned and scrutinised throughout all of Zulawski's films.

Of course, one of the other great things about POSSESSION is that if none of the above interests you the film can be savoured simply as a tour-de-force of hysteria and violence.

Adjani is manic as the wild-eyed, unpredictable Anna. Her performance is so intense that it's occasionally laughable - but that didn't stop her picking up the Best Actress award at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival (much to the distaste of the editor of UK film magazine "Starburst"). For sheer energy and bravery alone, she deserved it.

Neill has never been like this, before or since. Acting like he's smoked a crack pipe and injected himself with rabies seconds before Zulawski's called "action", his performance is sweaty and genuinely mental.

Bennett? Fucking hell, he's just bonkers. Completely.

Between them, the three leads turn in caricatures of emotional trauma. The vitriol they spit out at each other is unsettling and often jarring, Zulawski's up-close and confrontational approach ensuring that the drama is never allowed to simmer. It is so overwrought that anyone mistaking this for a bizarre comedy could be forgiven.

Perhaps it's too melodramatic for some. Others will simple chuckle, and some may reach for their earplugs whenever Adjani's on screen. But if you can embrace the themes and come to terms with Zulawski's mannered styles, it will become easier to enjoy the increasingly histrionic set-pieces.

Carlo Rambaldi (DEEP RED; FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN) provides the gooey FX, Andrej Korzynski's music is fantastic and memorable, and the icy cinematography of Bruno Nuytten lends the film an air of despair and alienation throughout.

POSSESSION is a masterpiece. An arthouse-cum-horror-cum-kitchen sink drama-cum-political thriller that rarely sits still (some of the camerawork is amazing) and refuses to shy away from examining moments of excruciating inner turmoil.

Originally banned, bafflingly, as a video nasty in the UK, POSSESSION was finally released uncut with an 18 rating on VHS in 1999 by Visual Film Entertainment. It's taken until now for it to make its way to UK DVD.

Second Sight's disc offers the film, uncut, in an anamorphic transfer which preserves its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. The picture is very good, clean and bright with a healthy level of sharpness.

English 2.0 audio is provided (the film was shot in English) and is equally problem-free.

An animated main menu page leads into a static scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 20 chapters.

This DVD has a couple of great extra features.

The first is "The Other Side Of The Wall: The Making Of Possession". This is a highly enjoyable and informative 51-minute documentary from 2009 narrated by Daniel Bird. Zulawski is on hand to offer his thoughts on his early career, his exile from Poland and the political motivations for making POSSESSION. We also learn that Sam Waterston was originally in the running for the role of Mark, hear about the uproar the film's appearance at Cannes caused, and much more.

Interspersed with clips from the film and interviews with producers, it's a great documentary despite no appearances from the cast. Most of the documentary is presented in English, but optional subtitles are available to translate those who speak in Polish.

Next up is an interview with Zulawski. This provides a further 36 minutes of illumination with the wise one, who this time speaks in Polish with the benefit of optional English subtitles offered for us ignorant Brits. Here, Zulawski elaborates on how the furore surrounding the filming of ON THE SILVER GLOBE (the Polish government ordered a halt to filming for fear of the film's intent) inspired him to go on to make POSSESSION.

An attractively compiled photo gallery completes a very nice set.

Obviously the dark shadow looming over this release is that Mondo Vision are currently preparing their own DVD version of POSSESSION stateside, and their Zulawski releases so far have been extraordinary. It's also a crying shame that Second Sight were unable to get hold of the Bird/Zulawski commentary track from Anchor Bay US's previous DVD release.

But, these qualms aside, this is an excellent release of a classic film and comes highly recommended.

Review by Stuart Willis