As we finish off the last of the Cult strand films, the desire is strong to avoid lazy “like father, like son” comparisons on this one but if you do go and make a mind-bending sci-fi tinged body horror....
Possessor
Dir. Brandon Cronenberg / Dur. 104 mins
Strand:- Cult
In A Nutshell:- Tasya Vos is a “possessor” - a hitman who uses implants to take over another person’s body and carry out their hits…
The Good:- Inevitably, given that Brandon Cronenberg is the son of David Cronenberg, director of Videodrome, The Fly, Scanners and more, it is very hard to avoid making comparisons especially when Cronenberg Jr is treading into the sort of body horror-tinged sci fi that his father became famous for. Fortunately, while wading into similar territory, Brandon has enough of his own style to make that comparison a complementary rather than negative one. There are some chillingly gruesome scenes and as well as suitably weird and creepy imagery throughout (notably in one off-key scene when Christopher Abbott wears a deliberately melted version of Andrea Riseborough’s face). In terms of the cast, Riseborough is suitably haunted as conflicted hitman Vos, torn between loyalty to her boss and a desire to be with her family, as well as managing to convey the unraveling effect that inhabiting other people’s minds is having upon her. Christopher Abbott does a good job too of portraying the hitman-possessed target who begins to fight back against the invading personality.
The Bad:- I’m not one hundred percent convinced about the very end of it but won’t say more without spoiling it.
The Verdict:- It’s good to see a Cronenberg back into the realm of sci fi and horror (now that David has moved into more realistic portrayals of the horrific with films like A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises) and good to see that, while clearly influenced by his father, Brandon is very much carving out his own niche.
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