Possession

Possession is a 1981 horror film set in West Berlin, where Mark returns from an extended absence to find his marriage in ruins. His wife Anna has become distant and evasive, and when she finally admits to an affair with a man named Heinrich, Mark's jealousy drives him to investigate her movements on his own. His suspicions soon give way to something stranger: Anna's behaviour points to a secret far beyond an ordinary affair, one that pulls both of them toward violence and madness. Andrzej Żuławski wrote and directed the film, the first in the chronological list of his features, followed by Mad Love, On the Silver Globe, Fidelity and Cosmos. Isabelle Adjani plays the dual roles of Anna and Helen, with Sam Neill as Mark, Margit Carstensen as Margit Gluckmeister, Heinz Bennent as Heinrich, Johanna Hofer as Heinrich's mother and Carl Duering as the private detective.

Produced by Marie-Laure Reyre for Gaumont, Oliane Productions, Marianne Productions and Soma Film Produktion, the film carries a cult reputation. It earned 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb from over forty thousand votes, with a matching 7.3 on TMDB from a smaller pool, while a critics' rating of 7.9 out of 10 from thirty-six reviews places critical opinion noticeably above the general audience response. Against a budget of two million dollars, its worldwide box office of one million dollars indicates it did not recoup its costs during its initial release.