Content warning: Discussions of domestic and sexual violence, miscarriage, and self-harm.

Featuring special guest and Game Informer senior associate editor Blake Hester (https://twitter.com/metallicaisrad)!

“Cursed”; “uncomfortable”; “bizarre”; “hopeful”? POSSESSION has been furrowing brows for more than 40 years with its intimately surreal depiction of a dissolving marriage. In the process, it’s garnered a reputation all its own, incomparably strange and off-putting. In this episode, we talk about seeing this movie on 35mm and try to go a bit further than the “WTF” reactions this movie has received over the years. Join us as we suss out what makes this film, once deemed inappropriate for distribution, such a classic, including its real-life inspirations, the sociopolitical context of its creation, and why both directly literal and totally symbolic readings miss the whole point of the movie.

Find Blake and his writing at the following links:

- https://twitter.com/metallicaisrad

- https://www.gameinformer.com/user/blake-hester

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "Main Theme" from the POSSESSION soundtrack by Andrzej Korzynski.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 153: POSSESSION (1981) with Blake Hester

3:51 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

7:41 - Blake’s thoughts

9:54 - Jason’s thoughts

14:05 - Cody’s thoughts

18:31 - Harry’s thoughts

24:08 - Aaron’s thoughts

29:57 - What makes Anna a hopeful character in a movie full of despicable people

37:52 - The movie’s point of view

44:09 - How Heinrich pushed Anna closer to the Creature

52:46 - The dark comedy of POSSESSION

55:37 - Who is East Germany and which is West Berlin?

1:00:06 - The humanly grotesque scenes

1:12:38 - Isabelle Adjani’s scream in the tunnel

1:13:25 - Skip to after the scary scream

1:14:43 - Final thoughts (parenting, Bob, Jason simps for Isabelle Adjani)

1:21:01 - Cody’s Noteys (2022 movie resolutions)