1981 / Andrzej Żuławski > There’s something about the madness of a beautiful woman whom you once loved.  You know there was something in her that enticed you in the first place, and no matter how reckless she gets, that part of her gets you coming back for more.  You don’t think about how it’s going to end, though you know deep inside that it won’t be well.  You’re still intrigued, fascinated and find yourself going back for more.

Truth be told, I’m still pretty confused as to what it is that Żuławski has put in front of us, but I do know that in its unrelenting nature—with hints of Rosemary’s Baby and Vertigo—Isabelle Adjani’s performance alone is worth thrice the ticket price, watching her turn beauty into a mystical beast.  Similar to Oshima’s take in In the Realm of the Senses, Possession is a dark tale of consumption, of passion beyond reason (or maybe of perfect reason?).  It is absolute but not for everyone.