Possession (I) (2009) User Reviews

Okay as a drama but a disappointing drama thriller

[mrcibubur · 5/10 · 14 April 2010]

I may review this report after watching the film a second time. this time around, I was most disappointed, expecting from the DVD sleeve promotion and the very title of the film, a demonic horror thriller. No such thing.

Another love triangle involving a young woman and two brothers, this is a soppy sentimental love story but I can see where people are coming from in thinking the husband Ryan has possessed the soul of his brother as a result of the accident. they could have fed off the recent film 'Brothers' which had a war topic to the story and although not great, delivered the goods. this film doesn't.

There is no real drama or horror in this movie and the ending is macabre to say the least. The acting is below standard even from the leading lady and the script is poor, the story told with so slow a pace it was excruciating.

Checking IMDb, there are quite a few films by the same title and it was difficult at first to identify the correct film on which to post the review.

There have been some very sensible and to the point comments by previous commentators about this movie. it remains to be seen whether I revise this review after a second viewing.

Romance Novel dressed as a Thriller/Supernatural flick

[jonathanruano · 5/10 · 26 August 2014]

Despite the good looking production values, "Possession" is really another take on a romance novel spiced up with some supernatural and thriller elements which both come straight off the assembly line. Ditsy beauty Sarah Michelle Gellar (playing Jessica) has the perfect marriage with Ryan (Michael Landes), but what she really wants is to have sex with bad boy Roman (Lee Pace). That's why Gellar looks scared and turned on at the same time when Roman is around. Then by the wildest of coincidences, two car accidents occur on what appears to be the scenic San Francisco Bridge. And you guessed it: Ryan conveniently stays in a coma, but bad boy Roman emerges from the coma and claims to be Jessica's husband. Now all Jessica had to really do was to point out the obvious to Roman: he does not look like Jessica's husband Ryan at all. But if that happened, then Jessica would never have the opportunity to have sex with Roman and the rest of the film would have been unnecessary. So Jessica convinces herself that Roman is possessed by the spirit of Ryan and has the best sex ever. Then comes the twist which shatters all of Jessica's delusions. At this point, Jessica must disavow Roman altogether or else admit that she really does like to have adultery. Then comes the predictable confrontation. Jessica re-establishes herself unconvincingly as the good girl who would never dream of having sex with a bad boy by telling Roman that she only slept with him because she thought he was someone else. Yeah sure!

So if you are interested in romance novels with bad boys in them, you may like this film. But if you want a film which is not straight off the assembly line and has multi-layered, intelligent, and evolving characters who do and say interesting things in exciting situations, then give "Possession" a pass.

A Conflicted and Twisted Love Story

[3xHCCH · 5/10 · 12 April 2010]

They released this movie in local theaters last Black Saturday, and it is still showing now. When you see the title "Possession" and the poster, you would really think this was a supernatural thriller, as I did. The director also gives you the complete "horror" treatment of jumpy scenes and somber music. However, as you watch it, you would realize that this was actually a love story -- deep, conflicted and twisted.

Sarah Michelle Gellar plays young lawyer Jess who is married to an ideally sweet husband Ryan (played by Michael Landes). Ryan has an ex-con brother Roman (played by Lee Pace) who free-loads off the couple and creeps Jess out. A freak car accident happens involving both brothers, causing them to both be comatose. One day, it was Roman who wakes up. However, he is behaving very much like Ryan! Jess is thus caught in an unusual dilemma between repulsion and hope, between hate and love.

While the story is actually quite interesting on paper, the execution was also very uncomfortable to watch on screen since the love triangle involves brothers. I only knew SMG among the three leads. She is really becoming a staple in these suspense films, huh? All the actors do quite well to flesh out their characters. In particular, Lee Pace does a good job as bad Roman being like good Ryan.

I have a problem with how the movie was resolved, which was quite hackneyed and predictable. With further reading, I learned that this film was actually a remake of a Korean film "Addicted" and that the ending was totally different. According to releases, the DVD also contains an "alternative" ending" that follows the spirit of the original Korean movie. While this more quiet alternative ending is nonetheless discomfiting, it sounds more appropriate than the corny violent ending we see on screen. I hope to watch the Korean version one day to compare.

I didn't like it, too unrealistic

[neilstephens403 · 3/10 · 30 August 2012]

First, the fact that Jess was even remotely fooled by Roman's pretending to have woken from his coma with a paranormal body-switch as his brother Ryan is preposterous. He presumably created some false memories for himself by sorting through her mementos box, but does anyone believe that that would be enough for her to fall for his ruse? A married couple who were that much in love would have so much more familiarity with each other than just a few shared memories. Does anyone believe that Roman would really be able to fake the subtle nuances and chemistry that existed between Ryan and Jess? In order to completely transform himself from a cold, hard, woman-beating criminal bad-ass to the totally sensitive woman-whipped romantic that Ryan was, he would have to be the greatest actor in the world.

And to top it off, he's able to concoct and execute this plan immediately after waking up from his coma, realizing that his brother is still in one, all in the less than one hour time frame it took for the doctors to call Jess in to the hospital. Any medical person familiar with comas knows that when someone is out for that long - 3 weeks according the movie - it may take him a day or more just to remember his own name! Second, what was all those scenes regarding the mixing of the blood on the concrete at the scene of the crash and the paranormal stuff where Ryan in his coma was continually spasming in connection with the events Roman was going through? Considering that it turns out that Roman was just faking it, those scenes made absolutely no sense.

I give it three out of ten just because some of the technical aspects of the movie, the lighting, overall coloring and feel, and soundtrack were at least professionally done. And the acting was not bad considering the horrible plot. Sarah Michelle Gellar was pretty good at least during the part when she was rejecting Roman and his ridiculous plot.

Tragedy and Manipulation

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 15 May 2010]

The lawyer Jessica (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is married with her affectionate husband Ryan (Michael Landes) and they lodge Ryan's brother Roman (Lee Pace) in their home. Roman is a violent scum that was defended by his sister-in-law and is presently on probation. When Ryan and Roman have a weird car accident, they are hospitalized in coma with no expectation to survive. However, Roman surprisingly awakes believing that he is Ryan. Jess is forced to bring him home and along the days, Roman has the same behavior and attitudes of Ryan. Further, Roman recollects moments of confidence between Jess and her husband, raising doubts if he is possessed by the soul of Ryan in the emotionally feeble Jess.

"Possession" has an intriguing premise but a poor screenplay and execution. The story of a man possessed by the spirit of his brother could be an excellent horror, thriller, drama or even story of repressed desire. Unfortunately despite of the lovely Sarah Michelle Gellar, the plot is not well developed and has many flaws, like for example the fate of Casey or what would happen with Jessica after killing Roman. This movie is a remake of the Korean "Jungdok" that has not been released in Brazil. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Sombras de um Desejo" ("Shadows of a Desire")

Interesting and engaging

[Gordon-11 · 26 March 2011]

This film is about a woman whose husband and her brother in law were injured in a serious car crash. After her brother in law regains consciousness, he believes that he is his brother.

"Possession" has an interesting plot which keeps you interested and guessing throughout. The mystery is preserved to the very end. Though the acting is not outstanding, the plot makes up for it. The ending is a little weird, as there are scenes which seems to contradict the ending that is suggested.

If the ending is clearer and more focused, then "Possession" would have been even better.

Far-fetched and feeble.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 14 May 2012]

Jess (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds her perfect married life turned upside-down when both her husband Ryan (Michael Landes) and his bad-boy brother Roman (Lee Pace) are sent into comas following a head-on car collision. Roman eventually wakes from his coma, but seems convinced that he is Ryan. Will Jess believe that her husband's spirit has somehow passed into the body of his brother, or will she call bulls**t?

It doesn't surprise me at all to find that Possession is a remake of an Asian film: it stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, it moves like molasses, and the messy plot sure takes some swallowing. The title promises supernatural shenanigans, and for most of the film, that is precisely what we are led to believe we are watching; but as the film progresses (very, very slowly) to the less than scintillating finale, it becomes apparent that there is nothing supernatural about the story whatsoever. Personally, I felt more than a tad cheated: I watched the film with the expectation of a spooky chiller, but what I got was a psychological thriller-cum-romance instead. And a pretty poor one at that!

Edit *** I've just watched Addicted, the Korean film on which this was based; it is also a very slow-moving film, but a much more worthwhile effort overall—classy and subtle, where Possession is just clumsy ***

Dissatisfying film, better alternate ending...

[golightly24 · 6/10 · 18 August 2011]

It's not even a thriller! This is just a suspense/drama film. The concept is better than the execution. Pace is the best thing about the film, but even he struggles with a role that isn't written with any real depth. How is he in love with the protagonist if he just got out of jail? Because she took his case? SMG's character is poorly developed and the whole relationship triangle seems poorly developed, with confusing time-lines to boot. However, I do agree with the reviewer above who says that the US DVD version's alternate ending works better. It is more intriguing in terms of what both characters appear to know about themselves and each other. How long will Roman be able to hold it together with his change of mindset? Why does SMG's character decide to take such risks? Did she learn to love him for real, or is she just mourning her husband? Anyway, the alternate ending was more satisfying by far than the hackneyed ending of the actual release, which really makes no sense, and appears slapped together. The thought that Ryan's neurologist is evidently also an obstetrician, as suggested in one of the closing scenes, is laughable, for instance. Only die-hard SMG and Pace fans. I can't remember the time when I've seen a movie with such a markedly different alternate ending where where the alternate was so much better than the released film. will find much to savor here.

OK thriller, nothing more

[ctomvelu1 · 5/10 · 17 November 2012]

Canadian-lensed remake of what I assume was originally an Asian thriller, about a woman whose loving husband and brutish brother in law end up in comas after a car accident. The husband remains in a coma, while the brother in law eventually comes to, claiming to be his brother and husband of the distraught woman. He seems to know many intimate details about her married life so that she eventually accepts him as her husband, with his soul transferred (the same plot was used on "Ghost Whisperer"). From there, it's all downhill. Is this a supernatural thriller? The answer is no, based on the cut and dried ending. It's certainly suspenseful part of the way, but it is too easy to guess the ending based on various clues thrown at us during the story This is Gellar's film all the way, with able support from Lee Pace as the brother in law. It's perfect for a quiet Saturday night. Just don't expect too much.

Possession

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 24 March 2010]

A lawyer, Jess(Sarah Michelle Gellar) faces a crisis of bizarre proportions when her beloved husband, Ryan(Michael Landes) suffers a serious car crash thanks to his barbaric ex-con brother, Roman(Lee Pace) who was speeding at excessive speeds passing motorists during a foggy morning whilst in the midst of a temper tantrum(as is established at the opening, this guy was quite an unfriendly, rude, hostile, ill-tempered fellow, whose mere presence repulsed her). Something quite surreal might've taken place, a possible "soul transference" where Ryan has taken "possession" over his brother's body! At first, Jess avoids Roman despite his knowledge of specific events only her and Ryan would know and had shared. But, as she notices little quirks and behavioral patterns Ryan made now being exhibited by Roman, Jess ponders the real possibility that her husband has returned to her! But, is it an actual hoax? Is Ryan really present in Roman's body? Is such an unbelievable situation as soul transference perhaps legitimate? This movie is really an odd experience because the plot really develops a weird scenario. Imagine the sheer notion of your gracious, cherubic husband, who wrote you love letters everyday, carved your entire head and face in clay, and had a rose(or flowers)around all the time to remind you of his devotion to you, returning in the body of a man you positively loathe! I think Sarah Michele Gellar really handles the part as well as can be expected. She shows the complex emotions one would obviously face when dealing with such matters as having your husband in a coma on the brink of death while his brother seems to harbour Ryan's personality and soul. Then, there are plot complications and revelations which cast doubt on Roman. A lover, Casey(Tuva Novotny) turns up throwing a wrench in the evolving relations between Jess and Ryan/Roman. When Casey goes missing, and a tear drop necklace(her grandmother's)that Ryan had given back to Jess is proved to be a fake version of another which she accidentally broke, we are(as Jess)left wondering whether a soul transfered or if this is all a load of manipulative hogwash. Anyway, the movie is definitely lifted by good leads and certainly has a unique storyline even if it is a bit daffy. I think Gellar fans will find her performance acceptable, even if they find the film a bit of an odd duck. The complications are interesting and I thought the movie had a heart..that's something, I guess. One complaint I have is the film's title and DVD cover..definitely more than a bit deceptive. One development that really made me feel uncomfortable(..besides the eventual love making between Jess and Roman, while Ryan's body lie unconscious in a hospital)was the pregnancy, which is why I brought out the point regarding how awkward the movie was as an experience.

Move along - nothing to see here

[bowmanblue · 4/10 · 30 July 2014]

Sorry, Sarah, but, since your 'Buffy days,' your film career has hardly been glittering. What we have here is a short - and pretty empty - horror/thriller. If you believe the marketing on the poster, the people who made it have something to do with both The Grudge and The Ring. I can assure you... it's not even nearly as good as either of them.

In my opinion, it has two major problems: the first is that it's rushed. It's only eighty minutes long and everything has to happen really quickly to fit it all in. Buffy is now married to 'nice brother,' but 'nasty brother' is generally hanging around with them. Then, one fateful day, nice brother and nasty brother accidentally crash their cars into each other (yeah, seriously), leaving them both fighting for life side by side in their hospital beds.

Then, nasty brother wakes up, only he claims to be nice brother. And now we have our film. Only we don't. Seeing as it's nice brother in nasty brother, he behaves very well and doesn't do anything nasty. So... who's really in there? Nice brother, or nasty brother? Um, do we care? He's nice, so there's absolutely no real sense of danger or dramatic tension (my second fault with the film).

If you're a Buffy/Sarah fan like me, you'll probably agree that she's the best bit. She does her best, but the script is lame and she could do with either having to fight someone, or be chased by something (ala The Grudge).

Sadly, Possession offers nothing you haven't seen before, only better. Stick to the Grudge or the Ring. Like I say... sorry, Sarah.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Alternate Version Is Better

[lnfrosch · 8/10 · 12 April 2010]

I have watched both versions of the film, and after eagerly anticipating it for more than a year, I can say that the alternate version is what I had expected/hoped for and completely changes the entire film. This film is by no means perfect, and certainly isn't the best written piece of cinema out there, but the story had me wrapped up and interested. The alternate ending made me love it.

If you go into this film under the misapprehension of the marketing - which is, that this film is another "Grudge" or whatever the company tried to push - then you may be disappointed; it is less supernatural and altogether more human.

Good movie... Poor ending... misnamed title

[midge56 · 6/10 · 8 April 2010]

If this movie had a better ending and a different title, I would have given it 9 stars. The actors were superb! The story was excellent! The directors were terrible. This is not a horror movie. It was a love story with a supernatural twist, a Hitchcock style mystery with a powerful, exciting climax and then... CRASH! No Ending! We were left hanging.

It was "almost" a great movie, but the directors missed the mark with the ending and the title. The title was completely wrong for this movie. Possession is a name for a horror movie. Apparently, these directors do not understand that a "Possession" is perceived as an act of violence by a malevolent entity. It is an overpowering by something evil. This storyline wasn't a possession, it was more of a "rebirth," "transference," "joining" or "awakening" that the movie was trying to imply with the switch. It was centered on the spirit of a loving spouse reaching out to his wife through his brother. Possession implies malevolence... which is why the audience felt deceived by the directors. When you mislead the expectations of an audience, you are going to get bad reviews and ratings.

The DVD cover was as misleading as the title. The photo on the DVD cover looks like it belongs with a completely different movie and bore no semblance to this film. To make the problem worse, there are already a half dozen other movies with the same name "Possession." This movie should have been called something like "Reflection," "Inner Spirit," "Echo," "Transference," "Rebirth" or "(a rose) by any other name"... (you get the idea). There are dozens of better titles they could have used. This title will also work against the DVD sales and rental revenues. Most people will assume they've already seen it by the name without double-checking like I did. It was hard enough just finding the right entry on IMDb.

The directors' filming styles did not fit the movie. They used choppy flashes of horrific images and sudden loud banging noises to instill fear in the audience like you would with a horror movie or thriller. That might be OK with a movie like "The Ring" or "Darkness" but it was out of place on this film... especially on the opening credits. It gave the audience the perception that the movie would be nonstop killings and violence. This movie had 2 terrible directors who took an excellent story, good screenplay and superbly talented actors and treated it like 2 high school kids pretending to be directors in their garage. If not for the directors, this could have been a fantastic 9 star movie.

It really was a good movie throughout until the last scene when we were left dangling with no ending. Leaving a movie hanging, is a very bad way to leave a movie or treat an audience. Very poor judgment on the directors' parts. For this kind of a movie, a happy ending would have been nice... but this movie literally had no ending at all.

The movie also did not close out the issue of the missing girlfriend. Yes, there was a memory flash of what he had done, but that was not a closure... (the alternate scene didn't count), but someone needed to find her. Apparently, these directors have a problem with "closures" and endings in his movies. Something to be wary of on their future endeavors. I don't think they should be directing this genre of movie. They don't quite know how all the pieces should fit together. They obviously do not understand US audiences or how to properly direct a film.. They turned a winning movie into a dud.

I had been hoping for some redeeming alternate scenes after the directors left us hanging without any ending... but I was not pleased with any of the alternate scenes at all. They would not have added any enhancement to the movie and would have ruined the movie if they had used them. The alternate scenes created an irreversible finality situation... leading up to an alternate ending which was even worse than the regular ending. The directors couldn't even get the alternate ending right. They are apparently clueless as to how to appropriately end this kind of movie.

A love story like this should have had an ending with a glimmer of positive hope... more of a glimmer than the one they left us with. This movie genre is more in the category of the film "Ghost". (Just for the directors' info, the patient bursting awake and then returning to deep coma is contradictory and unlikely). If they had wanted to end the movie properly, Ryan would have stayed awake after that last episode. The wife would have had a miscarriage, but the doctor should have wheeled her into Ryan's room where his eyes were open and they exchange meaningful, loving expressions and touch hands where we would know everything was going to be all right. That's how you end a movie like this. I'd recut, retitle & re-release this movie. Shame on the directors for spoiling what could have been a really great movie.

I still recommend watching it. It is a good movie and good story, as long as you understand the disappointment waiting for you with the "lack of ending" and you understand this movie is nothing like the title implies.

Adequate, but not what I expected...

[I-Watch-Movies · 5/10 · 11 March 2010]

Based on the trailer and the tags for the movie I expected a little bit of a horror/thriller from the movie, instead I got a slow moving tense love story. The movie lacked a wow factor, while being watchable and being a remake I would have wanted more out of the second release. Acting in it was good, nothing outstanding as it only was composed of three actors for the majority and of those two that showed any depth.Regardless of what I expected though, the movie was very slow in a lot of areas and then the theatrical version (and from what I read the alternate version is much better) provides an ending that was jumbled and developed poorly for the viewer. They seemed to just toss out this ending without thought to turn it into a somewhat creepy idea of "possession" that I found to be quite bland.

Overall if you watch a lot of movies and need something to watch, check it out, its not horrendous. Otherwise, there are plenty of other flicks worth pouring an hour half into.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Rises Above a Poor Script

[Chrysanthepop · 30 May 2010]

American remakes of South Asian films have often produced disastrous results. 'Possession' faces a similar fate. It's not as bad as most remakes of South Asian movies but as a stand alone it's not very good either. The execution is passable. There are some eye-candy photographic visuals but the background score is annoying. The forced 'jump' moments are unnecessary and out of place.

The movie hardly works as a thriller but to an extent it does work as a human drama. Jess's hope of her husband's recovery conflicted with her confusion in seeing her brother-in-law act familiar is well displayed. Sarah Michelle Gellar is brilliantly restrained. How I hope she would move out of the horror thriller genre and attempt different kinds of roles. Lee Pace's performance suffers due to poor characterization.

'Possession' is easily forgettable. Other than Michelle Gellar's performance, there isn't much to look forward to.

I'm gonna rent the Japanese version...

[Sherazade · 5/10 · 10 March 2010]

This movie was very uneven I think I would have to see the Japanese version or read the book in order to appreciate it better or at least understand what happened at the end of it. Too much of vital details was left on the cutting room floor apparently or maybe the director expects too much of his audience. Wanting an intelligent audience is one thing but leaving so much details out to the point whereby the audience is practically left to make up their own movie is just ridiculous. It has shades of Bollywood's 'Anamika' in it. The idea behind the film was brilliant but it was executed poorly. I like Sarah Michelle Gellar but this was not one of her best work.

Engaging but average thriller

[ashimhbvsj · 7/10 · 15 July 2020]

Will engage you till the end but the screenplay is not upto pace and the thriller isn't upto the expectation. Anyway, one time watch.

Difference

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 16 June 2010]

I haven't seen the Original Asian movie this is based on, but I am pretty sure, that I would like that more than the Remake I have seen. I'm pretty sure it is more subtle and has better character arcs. Not that the actors are bad in this, but as someone else wrote in a magazine: Seems like Sarah M. Gellars career has gone AWOL, since Buffy ended. And this movie won't bring her career back.

It's a nice little psycho thriller, that tries to stay ambiguous, but you might know where this is going, without me or anyone else telling you about it. There's still a chance you might like it more than some other people, but also a very good chance you might not like it at all. There's better thrillers out there, but you could pick a worse movie. If you are a fan of Sarah M. Gellar, you might wanna give it a try ... also if you like thriller movies in general (with a touch of supernatural thrown in for good measure). Everyone else should stay clear of this

WHAT'S WRONG DADDY?

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 3 December 2018]

The film opens with the "based on a true story" claim. It follows this claim with a man coming home to find his mom possessed by a demon. Yes, I remember mom being possessed by demons. I warned her about burning those black candles, drinking goat's blood, and opening strange ancient boxes with Hebrew letters.

After the credits, the story then moves on to Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the almost big time basketball coach, his divorced wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick), and two adorable daughters he has for the weekend in his new home on Always Dreary Lane. Em (Natasha Calis) the younger, more adorable, and better actor of his two daughters buys a box at a yard sale and the next thing you know the movie transforms itself into a mediocre Jewish exorcism film.

The highlight for me was the MRI scene. I would like to see Natasha Calis get smacked around er ah star in more horror films. You can keep the rest of that lot. I found myself getting bored during some of the better scenes. At 92 minutes, it seemed like 2 hours. Dialogue lacked decent hooks. Oh wait. That's because this was "based on a true story."

Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. No moths were harmed in the filming of this movie.

4/10

[SamJamie · 4/10 · 8 December 2020]

Jess (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Ryan (Michael Landes) seem to have a perfect life, marred only by the presence of Ryan's thuggish brother, Roman (Lee Pace). After the two brothers are involved in a terrible car crash, Roman awakes from his coma first and claims to be Ryan. Though she is sceptical at first, Jess begins to believe that her husband is trapped in his brother's body.

I didn't expect a great deal when I decided to watch this movie, the only thing that interested me in it was Sarah Michelle Gellar, taking on a different role to her usual. The film itself, however, is predictably dull, the interesting premise is squandered on lame genre clichés and pitfalls, leaving a bland and uninteresting movie. Nothing ever seems to stands out as the plot and characters are under-developed and generic. I learned practically nothing about the character of Jess other than the fact she was engaged and worked an office job - meaning when the second act begins I couldn't feel for her character whatsoever. The film is never aggressively bad, it just is not worth the time.

The film's attempt at being a thriller come across awfully silly and the dramatic aspects bog the runtime down. Sadly, even Sarah's performance isn't noteworthy either, giving her nothing of substance to work with. The direction seems to spend more time seeking out the perfect camera angle and using an unnecessary amount of CGI than tightening the story, characters and dialogue to appropriate levels of suspense. Not a film I would recommend.

Hmmm...

[fil-nik09 · 6/10 · 13 June 2015]

It is OK movie. Nothing special, viewing it as a whole, but it does grab your attention most of the time. The title of the movie may give you the impression that it is a horror movie, but it is a drama with elements of thriller. Sarah was very good in the movie. I don't know the names of the 'brothers' but for what they acted, it was good. The twist or the changing of the roles is clever, but then the blood connection makes no sense to me - that is, if the other brother consciously decided to switch the roles. I did not like the very ending with the hands of the 'spirit' helping her tie the chain... All in all, six from me.

Cheap thriller and poorly handled.

[jordondave-28085 · 2/10 · 17 May 2023]

(2007) Possession DRAMA/ THRILLER

"Possession" as the movie indicates is just the name for the long weary set up of the film which centers on Jess (Sarah Michelle Geller) who loves her husband Ryan (Michael Landes) very much, but does not like her brother-in-law Roman (Lee Pace) at all, since he's sleazy and has just got out prison, who happens to live with them as well. A major car accident ensures with the only people conveniently involved are the two brothers of Ryan and Roman. Jess (the ex-convict) wakes up first but starts acting like he's been 'possessed' by her husband who's still in a coma. And as he tries to make advances toward her she continues to distance herself away from him as she convinces herself that her husband is going to wake up as well. The movie poses this question, is her sleazy brother-in-law just a fraud or has he really been possessed by her late husband? All I can say is that the film is excruciatingly bad, since viewers are oblivious what the Sarah Michelle Geller character already know beforehand, who just accidentally stumbles onto information, like it's always expected to happen in films all the time, and that kills the suspense making this one into a cheap thriller and poorly handled.

Amazing!

[brookenichole-98054 · 8/10 · 11 May 2020]

Possession is great! The story involving the two brothers switching bodies when they wake up was crazy. I had seen this before but had been dying to see it again, and let me just say it did not disappoint. Every single second felt like I was on the edge of my seat. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lee Pace were terrific in their roles. There wasn't one moment where the acting or story fell flat. And that ending really shocked me. The whole time I was wondering what would happen next. Overall this movie is amazing. I would say to give it a try if you really love a good thriller. But don't expect horror.

Keeps you on edge of seat

[cristin-moore27 · 7/10 · 21 September 2020]

Good drama movie, interesting twist. I would recommend if you like drama movies.

Middle-Tier SMG But Still Solid

[RyanCShowers · 19 April 2021]

This is middle-tier SMG film, but I must say, it has really grown on me over the years. It's gorgeously shot, the story is pretty twisted which keeps you guessing, and Sarah has total command over the emotion of the film. She's pretty fantastic; she's always been one of the best criers in Hollywood, and here she manages a certain emotional state consistently as Jess collects these experiences and weighs the possibilities. Lee Pace is rather good, too.

The directors have a strong sense and a compelling approach to the material that is not stylish and clicks with the audience. The script is the most flawed aspect but serves the basis for a solid thriller. It's quite impressive that they filmed an entire alternative third act. I do prefer the alternative ending to the more Hollywood-ized final version. However, the producers made the right call. American audiences wouldn't have gone along with Jess's final motivations and conclusion in the alternative ending. I find the psychology so interesting.

I wish it would have had a proper wide theatrical release. It would've made $bank$ had it been released early February or mid-April.