Disc Reviews

Possessor Blu-ray Review

• 8th Mar 2024

Brandon Cronenberg can take a sigh of relief. His debut feature Antiviral was not a fluke- and whilst he most definitely comes from the same art pond as his father David, he most definitely has his own art to share with the world.

Stating simply what Possessor is about isn’t an easy task. But it features Andrea Riseborough (a true chameleon of a performer) playing Tasya Vos – who is living a double life.  A wife and mother who also balances life as an assassin. But this assassin has a twist – she assassinates people by taking control of other people’s bodies (through the use of corporate tech). But there are pitfalls to be sure in this line of work and they threaten to wreak havoc on her business and life.

Cronenberg directs with sure confidence and gives the film a surreal look and feel. The film delves into reality, the blurring of the mind, and the waking horror of the discovery of violent consequences. Who better to deliver this than a Cronnenberg,

And, oh boy, if you know what Sean Bean does best in film and TV then you are in for a treat here!

Possessor is a unique film hopefully placed in the early part of a long career ahead.

Special Features

New audio commentary by Director Brandon Cronenberg, Producer Rob Cotterill, Director of Photography Karim Hussain and Special Effects Artist Dan Martin

This Unfamiliar Life: a new 21-minute interview with Brandon Cronenberg. Brandon makes for a very chatty and forthcoming interviewee.

Inside the Machine: a new interview with Karim Hussain (27-minute in-depth interview with the DOP).

Feel the Real: a new interview with Rob Cotterill (24-minute producer interview).

Disassociating from Mind and Body: Zoë Rose Smith on Possessor. This is an academic reading into the film.

FX Show and Tell with Dan Martin. A quick glimpse at some of the prosthetic work done for the film.

Archive featurettes include A Heightened World – A Look at Possessor, Identity Crisis – Bringing Possessor to Life and The Joy of Practical – The Effects of Possessor.

Camera Test Footage.

Deleted Scenes

Short Film: Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You (which was the original inspiration for the feature film).

Trailer

Great visuals, sounds, extras, a 120 booklet and 6 art cards all crammed into a nice box with original artwork by Marko Manev. What more could a collector need!

Steven Hurst