Possession

Bodil Ipsen was a prolific actor but it is actually as a director I believe she accomplished her greatest achievements. 'Besættelse' is actually a very simple drama about the revitalization of an older man's sexual desires by an attractive young woman. Had there been a more sombre setting this would have qualified as a film noir with a femme fatal causing the downfall of our male leading character. In those days it did not take much to provoke eroticism, so there is no need to indulge in excessive sex scenes to demonstrate the sexual attraction. The direction is thoroughly suggestive, and given the lacking experience of these contributions to danish films of the time it is no wonder that our male victim is overwhelmed by such seductive acting. The drama however is too superficial to accomplish a broader captivity among the audience, but with the strong sexual tensions sustained over the intrigue it carries through as a convincing piece of sensual drama quite unusual for that period.