I’m unsure what I could say about Possession (1981) that would be unique enough to warrant a post about it. The camerawork was brilliant and I loved the small acknowledgement of it’s intentionally surreal quality (when Margit comments that that Anna is hoping for a “magic wand” - an item that typically comes into power when waved in a circular motion). Characters circle others in an attempt to ensnare and devour them like wolves while completely unaware of the camera –the disquieting forces of their world– indulging in the same predatory motions to unravel them. Anna’s tentacle lover does not need to continue this ritual of continually coiling itself around her once it has her in it’s grasp because she has already made herself open and willing to it – a desire that Mark is unable to wean out of her.
The subway scene was a remarkable performance, but only part I found genuinely difficult to watch was the ballet scene where Anna holds one of her dancers in place until she is screaming in pain. The intentions are not lost on the viewer, Anna is giving a visual demonstration of how she conceptualizes her relationship with Mark. She mimics his cold disposition while the dancer’s face contorts not wholly unlike Anna’s episodes. Mark’s presence compressed Anna into the role of a good wife during their time together, and his absence during his mission relieved her of just enough space to writhe in misery.
Mark never fully comes to understand why Anna is the way she is, and for all the throwing of himself at her feet he does, he is incapable of responding with empathy when Anna tries to put her feelings into words – a dynamic she carries her own concepts of (”because you could say “I” for me”). I found it interesting that Helen’s existence not only further illuminated Anna’s isolation, but also what Mark sees as what he owes in their relationship. Mark only exhibits comfort as a provider for his family, and the most amount of intimacy he engages in with Helen (who is the idealized version of his wife) regards caring for his son. The farthest extent in which their relationship progresses intimately as individuals is lying next to one another with explicitly non sexual intentions. I suppose that this provides the most reasonable answer for why there exists this chasm in their communication – he knows how to play his role and does not understand why she cannot play hers.
