The Owners / Possessor reviews

THE OWNERS (2020)

Director: Julius Berg

Stars: Maise Williams, Sylvester McCoy, Rita Tushingham 

Runtime: 92 min

 

 

 

Home invasions have in recent years become increasingly risky propositions. If more than a few films are to be believed it pays these days to be a bit careful about whose home you are invading lest they turn out to be deranged psychos, bitter ex-marines or, in this case, a harmless-looking country doctor and his somewhat loopy wife.

 

It's certainly a plus that when the four young thugs here break into the local manor in search of a rumoured safe that the two old dears in residence are played by Ex-Doctor Who Sylvester McCoy and the ever-wonderful-but-little-seen-these-days Tushingham. 

 

But the safe proves tricky to open and a hostage situation develops as they attempt to discover the combination. Things quickly escalate and eventually get out of hand as the none too bright invaders fall out with each other. Tables, as you expect, are slowly turned and secrets slowly revealed.

 

Though there's nothing here that really surprises it's a tense and involving ride, with some quite nasty if only occasional gory moments. Frenchman Berg is a seasoned TV director and for this, his first feature, uses some interesting tricks including changing the aspect ratio during the finishing stretch to restrict the frame, presumably for added claustrophobia. 

 

The pacing is good and the young thugs, especially Jake Curran's violent and obnoxious Gaz are well drawn, though what attracted Masie Williams to this film is anyone's guess as it doesn't exactly seem a role worthy of a Game of Thrones alumnus. Maybe it was the chance to hang out with Rita Tushingham. 

 

 

POSSESSOR (2020)

Director: Brandon Cronenberg 

Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Runtime: 103 min

A woman injects herself with a big needle in the top of her head. Then, looking into the camera, she turns a dial which abruptly changes her expressions: laughter, crying, anger, pain and more. That's how Possessor opens; it is quite disturbing.

Being the second film by Brando, son of David Cronenberg it is tempting to look for stylistic or thematic similarities with his famous father. It not very fair but it's hard not to.

That's particularly true since his striking debut, Antiviral (2012), certainly delved into similar “Body Horror” territory as Dad's earlier films. You could say the same of this film but it is clearly the work of an exciting new talent – it is both formally controlled and wildly free in its imaginative and hard-hitting visuals.

Ironically, after complaining recently about the glut of “assassin movies” around these days this is actually one more. But it's a very left-field one. In fact it's hard to exactly pigeonhole genre-wise, but is certainly one of the most original, intelligent, and impactful indie's for a while.

Riseborough works for a sinister company using a process that allows her to inhabit another person. While strapped on a table she is actually controlling someone else's body and being them. And she does it in order to be an assassin, killing others then killing the "host", before being re-awakened on the table. Jennifer Jason Leigh is her cold-blooded handler. But it is not an easy process and reality is beginning to collapse for the Possessor, who is finding it increasingly hard to kill her hosts and return to her own body...

This all takes place in an unspecified near future; the society is deftly sketched with neat touches such as a full-wall TV (shades of Fahrenheit 451) and the peculiar digital job of one of the main "hosts".

Along the way there are a bunch of very cool effects illustrating the possessing process. And as reality disintegrates the accompanying images are striking. I enjoyed this immensely though it should certainly come with a warning for very violent and generally weird content. There is more than a little blood.

As to comparisons with David C? There are certainly moments where you could say that Brandon had learned things from his father. But then his father has grown to produce films in many styles and genres. I thought I spotted notes here reminiscent of the older Cronenberg's Spider, Dead Ringers and Videodrome for instance. They do both seem to have similar regard for architecture. Or perhaps I'm just projecting...

Certainly, to see this as purely tethered to Dad's early films because of the horror element is reductive and unhelpful. If I was likening him to anyone stylistically it would be Panos Cosmatos who recently made the much-hyped Mandy. And, despite not featuring Nick Cage wigging out, I liked this film a lot more.