Possession (2002)

65% of critics liked it
(155 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(7,803 ratings)

In Neil LaBute's film adaptation of A.S. Byatt's Booker Prize-winning 1990 novel, Aaron Eckhart (who has starred in all of LaBute's films) plays Roland Michell, an American academic researcher, working in London, who discovers some important letters written by a famous Victorian poet, Randolph Henry… More In Neil LaBute's film adaptation of A.S. Byatt's Booker Prize-winning 1990 novel, Aaron Eckhart (who has starred in all of LaBute's films) plays Roland Michell, an American academic researcher, working in London, who discovers some important letters written by a famous Victorian poet, Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam [Gosford Park]). Ash was presumed to have been totally devoted to his wife, but Roland finds letters written to another unnamed woman, and soon determines that the intended recipient was another, less well-known poet, Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle of Sunshine). Roland contacts Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow), an expert on LaMotte's life and work, who tells him that LaMotte couldn't have had an affair with Ash because she lived most of her life with a female companion, Blanche Glover (Lena Headey), in what was apparently a romantic relationship. Despite Maud's skepticism, the two begin to investigate, and uncover a wealth of information about the affair between the two poets. Period scenes of the illicit relationship between Ash and LaMotte are intercut with the contemporary investigation of the two academics. Roland and Maud initially fight their attraction to each other, but as the pair find more evidence of the historical and tragic romance, they find themselves overcoming their own resistance to romantic entanglement. Possession was kicked around as a film project for a long time before LaBute became interested. Director Sydney Pollack originally was slated to film a screenplay by David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), who receives a credit on the finished film. When LaBute took over the project years later, he reworked the screenplay with Laura Jones (The Portrait of a Lady). ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Neil LaBute
Written By: Laura Jones, Neil LaBute, David Henry Hwang
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Aug 16, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Feb 11, 2003
Studio: USA Films

Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
For a movie that purports to be about the passions of love and language, Possession is remarkably prim.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
A film that could pass as either an After School Special for adults or a Love Story for the new millennium -- or a closeted comedy.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
This is Neil LaBute trying to do Jane Austen, from tone to subject matter to casting. And he's just no good at it.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Just about everything in this dry bit of business seems limp, building toward a poorly staged scene in a graveyard, which could be just where this slumbering bit of folly will land.
Eric Brace, Washington Post
What's supposed to be a deep examination of the transcendence of love and art and poetry turns into another shallow film about how repressed the British are.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Possession, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Glossy romance with pretty people.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
A film like this rides on the quality of the acting, and the Brits -- Northam and Ehle -- invest their forbidden love with centuries of fine repressed English tradition.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
We are led to smile nostalgically about this extramarital affair, not to contemplate the cost of unfaithfulness.
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart lead the cast, but their performances as modern characters rank second to Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle.
Greg Maki, Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
... LaBute shows he doesn't have to be mean-spirited to be an effective filmmaker.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
A idéia do amor trágico soa romântica para estes casais, o que é curioso. Mas, no geral, o filme é extremamente enfadonho.
Nick Rogers, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
A sumptuous, century-spanning romantic epic ... in other words, the last thing you'd expect from Neil LaBute
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
Possession should be a rapturous, romantic film about an ancient passion so intense that it transcends historical boundaries. It should be, but it isn't.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Possession is nine-tenths of the law, let's hope the kids see The original Wicker Man before they see Neil LaBute's horrible version though eh! In fact, read the books and watch the originals before approaching any of LaBrute's offerings and then maybe you'll not… More
Possession is nine-tenths of the law, let's hope the kids see The original Wicker Man before they see Neil LaBute's horrible version though eh! In fact, read the books and watch the originals before approaching any of LaBrute's offerings and then maybe you'll not feel the need to and will end up saving valuable time. In short Possession is tiresome. It's a film of two halves, half is alright, half is bloody awful. The alright half is set in the 1850s, the casting of Jennifer Ehle and Jeremy Northam is a bit lazy in that respect but they both survive the film reasonably unscathed, but to be honest it's only the fact that the modern day part of the film is so awful that it seems better than it really is. I like Aaron Eckhart and I'm willing to forgive him, I'm not a huge Gwyneth Paltrow fan but I'll forgive her too, I hold Neil LaBute accountable for the deluge of insulting stereotyping and pathetic script, this film would be completely forgettable if it weren't for the fact it was so horrible. Avoid.
paul s

I'm still trying to figure out what the heck the title has to do with anything that went on with this film; but that being said, the co-mingled stories are intriguing, well filmed and very well acted. Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart are featured as two professorial types (uh… More
I'm still trying to figure out what the heck the title has to do with anything that went on with this film; but that being said, the co-mingled stories are intriguing, well filmed and very well acted. Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart are featured as two professorial types (uh huh) who, upon the 100th anniversary of a famous poets' demise, stumble upon a secret liaison between the married poet and another famous poet, believed to be a lesbian. The pacing works well, building solidly until about the 3/4 mark when things get a bit tangled and too much time is spent on Paltrow and Eckhart's budding relationship (in truth, the 150 year old tale is more interesting). Director Neil LaBute does a masterful job of intertwining the two tales, often using the same scene or location to flip back into the past, or zoom into the present. A fine example is having a car on a rural road pass underneath an old stone bridge, and when the car moves out of the scene a steam engine enters the picture to cross the same bridge. The 150-year-old love story really comes as no surprise, but it is well played, especially by Jennifer Ehle as Cristobel, the female poet. As you would expect from two poets who correspond primarily via letters, the dialog between the two is wonderful, full of poetic terms of endearment and that lovely Victorian sense of language. The modern day language used by Paltrow and Eckhart is clumsy by comparison and jarring in its lack of elegance, as I believe was intended. The device of telling the poet's story through the discovery of letters works well here, and again LaBute is able to juggle shots of the story along with capturing the excitement of Paltrow and Eckhart as they read the letters to each other. The film uses a haunting music score as background to the 150-year-old story to good effect, and the cinematography is tactfully artful, not showy. The only real pratfall is the resolution of Paltrow and Eckhart's story line, and the plot vehicle involving the late night unearthing of the final piece of the puzzle, where fisticuffs are used, but unnecessary, out of place, and almost laughable. Said final piece allows for a touching flashback ending that includes a final letter being abandoned to the wind; a nice touch that lets you wonder what may have happened if said letter had been delivered. A romantic film that has a compelling mystery within it, I found it mostly charming and was interested in the poet's tale, even though you could see the melodramatic aftermath coming from miles away.
Jim H

I'm unsure if you have to be a complete nerd in order to enjoy this film. I mean: did I like it because the prospect of uncovering a literary mystery excites my nerd-dar, or did I like it because the film was able to raise this literary mystery/love story to a level of true… More
I'm unsure if you have to be a complete nerd in order to enjoy this film. I mean: did I like it because the prospect of uncovering a literary mystery excites my nerd-dar, or did I like it because the film was able to raise this literary mystery/love story to a level of true suspense? On that note, it is actually rather interesting that the same good guy versus bad guy cliche can be translated to English scholars; in this case, the good guys are motivated by the search for knowledge, and the bad guys are motivated by greed. On a side note, this film made me wonder about the branch of literary criticism in which the film's characters engage. Biographical criticism functions on the theory that an author's life is paramount to understanding his/her work, and I refuse to engage in it not because I think the central tenet is wrong but because I don't think it's any of our business. In this film, two scholars, who weren't born when the 19th Century writers they're researching lived, read personal letters that the authors never intended for a larger audience. It makes me think that I should burn that journal that I can't bring myself to burn. As much as I enjoyed the film, there are some flaws. The conflict between Mitchell and Dr. Bailey is never fully understood because whatever tortures Mitchell was never revealed. Also, when other characters talk about Dr. Bailey, they deploy stereotypes about gender theorists. However, not only does Bailey's behavior belie these stereotypes, but it is rare that English scholars will bandy about such labels. Overall, though it's not for everyone, this is a very well-made film, featuring two cleverly paralleled stories, Paltrow's nearly perfect British accent, and a plot that will make the nerd in you blow the dust off your Norton.
Cynthia S

This was a wonderful movie. I really love movies based around history, and this was full of it. Plus romance and mystery. It had it all for me. Loved it!
jay n

I know this is based on a book with the same setup but if they had focused on the Victorian story and ditched the present day one this would have been a far superior film. Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle have a nice chemistry which is totally lacking between Aaron Eckhart and Gwyneth… More
I know this is based on a book with the same setup but if they had focused on the Victorian story and ditched the present day one this would have been a far superior film. Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle have a nice chemistry which is totally lacking between Aaron Eckhart and Gwyneth Paltrow whose phoney baloney English accent keeps slipping away and whose wan presence makes the modern segments a trial.
Film C

Its an ok love story, and i really liked the storyline especially the endigalthough i didnt quite understand why the roance betweeen Ehle and Northam ended? Other than that i liked thismovei although a bit slow in places and they killed off lena headey i quite enjoyed this romanctc… More
Its an ok love story, and i really liked the storyline especially the endigalthough i didnt quite understand why the roance betweeen Ehle and Northam ended? Other than that i liked thismovei although a bit slow in places and they killed off lena headey i quite enjoyed this romanctc movie! Its loely and an intriguing mystery and ilove the way they go looking for the loved up victorian couple and end up finding love betweeen eac other as well! If you like romanctic films then ou'll like this movie! its worth a watch!
Constanza B

Magnificent, interesting plot and clever cinematic tricks shifting back and forth between time periods, some of the overall highlights involve the clever means by which these transitions are carried out
Sunil J

Sappy love story that I loved. Half uncovering the past, half finding what's right in front of you.
Leo L

A personal favorite.
FanGirl B

The Jeremy Northam/Jennifer Ehle half of the story is pretty good, but the Paltrow/Eckhart half sucked.