Possession

Polish director Andrzej Zulawski made Possession with Western European funding after experiencing censorship in his home country following the turbulent production of On the Silver Globe (shot in 1976–1977, not released until 1988). The political vulnerability he carried with him can be felt between the lines of the film: a marriage falling apart mirrors Eastern European countries doing the same, reinforced by the gray, impenetrable Berlin Wall. The film gains an added layer of desperation from being made in exile—as if everything he had held back is forced onto the screen. Zulawski was also in the midst of a painful divorce when he made the film.

Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani deliver electrifying performances in their portrayal of a marriage spiraling toward the abyss. Possession is a shocking and deeply unsettling horror film, filled with visceral body horror and suppressed rage, and its uncompromising style has earned it cult status.