Possessor (2020)

Writer-director Brandon Cronenberg's second feature (after ANTIVIRAL but before INFINITY POOL) gets the Second Sight special treatment in a limited edition UHD & Blu-ray boxset, with individual releases for the different formats as well.

The very Cronenbergly-named Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is a hit-person employed by Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who has a special device that allows Tasya to take control of other people's bodies. Her newest assignment is to possess Colin Tate (Christopher Abbott, most recent seen in POOR THINGS) whose girlfriend Ava (Tuppence Middleton) is the daughter of Tasya's target John Parse (Sean Bean). But Tasya's brain is starting to get affected by all the mind-jumping she's been doing and that, coupled with the nature of her job, is beginning to induce murderous psychopathic tendencies.

POSSESSOR is a right old brain-banger of a film: Philip K Dick by way of Michael Reeves' THE SORCERERS (which director Brandon Cronenberg gives a nod to early on, allowing us film nerds to nod sagely). The film's plots is straightforward enough, allowing Cronenberg to use his not inconsiderable skills to scramble your brain with visuals that will leave you staggering. Gorgeously shot by Karim Hussein and with terrific performances from everyone involved, this isn't a film you can watch everyday, but it's definitely one to regularly revisit. And then have a nice lie down in a darkened room afterwards.

Second Sight's set comes with a stack of new extras including a commentary track from Cronenberg, Hussein, producer Rob Cotterill and SFX provider Dan Martin. There are also new interviews with Cronenberg, Cotterill and Hussein. Disassociating from Mind and Body is a new piece on the film from Zoe Rose Smith and there's an FX 'Show and Tell' with Dan Martin. You also get three archive featurettes, deleted scenes, and the short film Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You.

Finally, there's a 120 page book with new essays, six art cards and a lovely box to keep everything in.

Brandon Cronenberg's POSSESSOR is out in limited edition UHD & Blu-ray boxset, plus as individual UHD and Blu-ray discs, on Monday 18th March 2024