“Possessor Uncut” follows an agent who works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people’s bodies – ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.
With “Possessor Uncut,” writer/director Brandon Cronenberg will no doubt be compared to his father David’s signature horror aesthetic. His approach similarly processes psychological torment and political anxieties through subversive violence and anatomical mutilation. I also read that he drew inspiration from Dario Argento’s iconic Giallo films which told operatic stories full of sex, suspense, and bright red blood.
The film’s small but exceptional cast is led by one of my favorite actors, Andrea Riseborough, as the enigmatic assassin Vos. She’s previously played memorable characters in “Shadow Dancer,” “Zero Zero Zero,” “Mandy,” and many more. Riseborough is such a chameleonic actor, that even after seeing dozens of her performances I still sometimes fail to recognize her. She plays Vos, a contract killer for a mysterious organization that utilizes unorthodox measures to eliminate their targets.
The opening act begins with a set-piece that could rival the tension of nearly any recent big-budget Hollywood picture. A beautiful woman, Holly (Gabrielle Graham), sporting a blue tracksuit, looks in the mirror remorsefully and plugs a cable into her cranium, creating a small scab to reopen, slightly bleeding. She enters a chic hotel lobby and greets her co-workers, wearing the same blue tracksuits, she’s just another employee at a high-end establishment. After grabbing a serrated knife she casually walks up to a large man and stabs him in the jugular. The man is stunned and while he falls to the ground his attacker continues landing vicious blows while blood sprays all over the bright white floor. The woman commands, “pull me out,” and then points a gun at herself. There’s an internal struggle happening and the woman begins crying as she points the gun away. Next, a group of police officers arrive and immediately shoot her dead. Suddenly, a large mask is pulled off Vos, who’s overwhelmed by this experience. Her boss Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh) enters with a psych evaluation, quizzing her through personal objects like her father’s pipe and taxidermized butterfly. After Vos accurately describes how she relates to them, Girder promises some time off and begrudgingly sends her employee home.
Vos has just reconciled with her husband and son, but before entering their home she pauses outside. She takes this moment to inhale her large vape and recites pleasant words outside the home to get into a maternal mindset. Her family is unaware of her deadly work and she is mostly withdrawn during their meal. After dinner, while making love to her husband, every thrust recalls the graphic knife wounds she inflicted on the big man. The consequences of inhabiting unsuspecting civilians through her employer’s brain-implant technology is taking its toll.
The film takes place in an anonymous megalopolis during an alternate timeline in 2008. It’s quite a unique approach to form a parallel world where the commodified human advancements and architecture somehow are envisioned as even more dehumanizing and alienating than in our current situation. More importantly, being set in 2008, when the US economy was collapsing, this adds more heft to the existential crisis resonating throughout. I can foresee comparisons to “The Matrix,” “Inception,” and even “Freaky Friday,” with its similar plot of overtaking a stranger’s consciousness and the complications of living their daily lives but “Possessor Uncut” supersedes those concepts.
Vacation time be damned, Girder pulls Vos in for the next job but not before questioning her methods from the previous assignment. Girder pulls up a massive screen projector with images of the hotel hit and asks why Vos didn’t opt to use the gun she was issued. Girder further explains the importance of keeping a resilient mind while engaging in their metaphysical line of work. The next target to embody is a handsome young man named Colin (Christopher Abbott). Colin is in a relationship with Ava (Tuppence Middleton), the daughter of a bigwig tech CEO. In a brilliant scene, Vos observes him in his apartment and begins mimicking his mannerisms and voice.
While Colin is walking down the street he’s pulled into an unmarked van by a medical team. They anesthetize him, drill a tiny hole in his skull for uploading capabilities, and release him before Vos takes over. The next morning, she wakes up in Colin’s body lying next to his girlfriend. Ava quickly realizes something’s off about her boyfriend but ultimately brushes it aside. Colin heads to work at Zoothroo, a large tech company akin to Google and there’s a struggle being familiar with coworkers and his mundane work. His work involves spying on Zoothroo’s consumers through their webcams and electronic devices to aggregate what products they prefer to buy. I applaud this recurring theme of unwilling people being subjected to the wills of unseen corporate intruders.
Although Colin is just a lowly corporate drone, dating the boss’s daughter has its perks and they attend Zoothroo CEO’s John Parse (Sean Bean) party at his palatial residence. Back at the organization, Vos is still connected to the machine, and Girder advises what to do next. It’s satisfying to get an insight into the minutiae of their operations. I won’t spoil anything further but things get complicated when the job goes sideways.
Cronenberg stated he was concerned with corporations being treated as sovereign powers, increased surveillance, and unseen signals controlling behaviors. In particular, he mentioned whistleblower Edwards Snowden’s revelations over the NSA and a sci-fi novel that focused on radio waves projected to manipulate the general public. I haven’t read the book he mentioned but I have read ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ which humorously details characters subjected to Pavlovian signals in a world filled with paranoia and its inevitable entropy. Another fascinating aspect of the film’s script is the discussion of gender and identity. Upon Vos and Colin mentally melding, domestic expectations and relationships are dissected in an entertaining manner with severe effects.
As engaging as the story is, the directing and production are just as good. Cinematographer Karim Husain ingeniously made the subversive visuals through practical use without relying on digital effects. Along with Cronenberg, the two employed techniques like colored gels on lenses and recreated images of outer space vortexes forming remarkable scenery. Furthermore, the camerawork is absorbing, using intriguing zooms and floating shots throughout a neo-noir landscape dominated by skyscrapers. The score is composed by Ben Wheatley regular, Jim Williams, who wields an expansive mix of synths and haunting textures that perfectly accompany the atmosphere. I ended up watching this twice and am looking forward to seeing it again. This is without a doubt the best sci-fi horror of the year, let it take control of you!
Now available on Digital HD and on 4K Ultra Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and Blu-ray December 8th
