Cult Films Meet-Up: "Possession" (1981)

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Portland Movie Club Cult Films Meet-Up - Spotlight on:
Andrzej Zulawski's "POSSESSION" (1981)
Let's talk about movies! Join Movie Club Members David, Victoria and Cat for a Meet-Up to discuss the nightmarish and subversive “Possession.” Polish born director Andrzej Zulawski has inspired a significant cult following for his extreme, avant-garde cinema, often featuring politically driven stories. Here, he gives birth (figuratively, and within the context of the film, literally) to this dark and challenging exploration of what happens after a fiery marriage separation. “Possession” explores heavy, twisted, deeply psychological terrain, so “Kramer Vs. Kramer” this is not.

Here's how a Portland Movie Club Meet-Up works:
1. Just like a book club, we watch the movie before we meet.
2. We'll meet at Breakside Brewery in Beaverton in Beaverton, OR at 2 pm on a Saturday. We'll have signs at our tables, but we'll also try to be obvious and identifiable. Please note that this is a change in venue from many of our scheduled Sunday Meet-Up events.
3. Grab some food and drinks and spend some enjoyable time discussing these masterpieces with us. (The Breakside in Beaverton has a full-service bar and a quality assortment of food carts in the outdoor patio area.)

A little about Zulawski's “Possession.”
Isabelle Adjani – who won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for this role - and Sam Neill play the couple. He’s a spy who returns home from one of his prolonged absences, to discover his wife having an extramarital affair. He presses her for a separation but can’t quite stop himself from being involved in her life and hires a detective to keep tabs on her and their young son, Bob. What the detective discovers is that there is a mysterious figure hiding in her shadow. Something far removed from normal. Since it’s been created by Carlo Rambaldi (“E.T” and the 1976 “King Kong”), you know it’s going to be something out of the ordinary.

This film was notoriously edited into incomprehension by its American distributor for its brief run in cinemas, treated like a tossed away cheap horror import. They had no idea what they had on their hands. The director’s cut is what circulates these days – so be sure the version you watch is the full length 124 minute version.

Trigger Notes: We tend to watch edgier stuff in the Cult Films Meet-Up than in other Meet-Up Events, and you definitely might not want to consider this as an appropriate viewing option for children – especially for its intensity and occasionally horrific imagery. We recommend reviewing this site for reported trigger warnings: [Posession (Movie, 1981) - DoesTheDogDie.com](https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/893480).

Viewing Options
Include - at the very least - Amazon Prime and Apple TV. You should be able to find a Blu-ray (there have been US and foreign releases loaded with extras) at Movie Madness.

About Cult Films
Sometimes good, almost always interesting, and only somewhat definable, Cult Films defy mainstream criticism and are noted for their obscurity and dedicated fan bases. Many cult films exist at the borderline between art and exploitation and are rich candidates for open-minded entertainment and interpretation.

We recommend viewing them for their uniqueness, regardless of their financial success or failure, and their often lack of adherence to a shared mainstream cinematic language. Some consider Cult Cinema to be Oppositional Cinema, always inhabiting a space outside of mainstream trends and popularity.

Tips

1. Haven't seen the movie in a while? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet. As with a book club, we don't watch the movie at our meetup, we just discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you do.
2. Some members enjoy researching the films and sharing what they find with the group. Others prefer to engage with the films in a more casual way. Both approaches are absolutely fine! Most PMC members land somewhere in the middle.
3. You may find it useful to take notes as you watch but definitely don't feel obligated. At the end of the day, we're here to socialize and have fun.

Previous titles viewed by our Cult Film Meet-up members for group discussion have included: Titane, Barbarella, Fantastic Planet, Eraserhead, Daisies (aka, Sedmikrásky), Jennifer’s Body, The Human Tornado, The Love Witch, Plan 9 From Outer Space, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Phantom of The Paradise, Takashi Miike's Audition, and David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and Rabid.

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