Possum

I enjoyed the first half. It was atmospheric, intriguing, bleak but beautiful. In the second half it starts rehearsing itself as if just to fill time. Very slowly leads it up to the exact conclusion you thought it would have. The latter isn't necessarily bad just feels unrewarding after sitting through so much filler.

I hadn't heard of this gem until I saw the poster for it on Amazon Prime, which instantly intrigued me. I thought for sure it would be awful, and didn't expect to make it more than 20 minutes in, but I was in a weird mood, it was raining outside, and this seemed fitting to watch. I ended up enjoying it enough to watch again a few months later. A second viewing made it all come together which made me like it even more.

This is a slow, repetitive film, and I can see why some people would think it's boring, confusing, and/or very strange (maybe even stupid). I don't know why I'm not one of those people. I never got bored, and I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and weirdness. Watching it the second time, everything fit perfectly and what was confusing the first time around made complete sense this time. There isn't any conversation or imagery that doesn't fit with the story. In fact, now I notice how deliberate the director was in his choices, and it's all very impressive to me. Sean Harris is incredible in this film. I have only seen a few of his other roles and this was so different and dark for him. Possum showcases what a great actor he really is.

This is not an uplifting story by any means. There are very uncomfortable moments, and some ambiguity which makes it hard at times to know what to feel. It's not exactly horror, although there are creepy and intense moments. I'd say it's more psychological/metaphorical. If you have an open mind, are into weird and dark movies, this may be for you. I didn't expect to like it so much, but I'm really happy I gave it a chance. I'm actually a bit sad to see so many low ratings.

This is definitely an audience splitter, since the material itself is very dark and not so frequent on entertaining scenes. When that is said, the movie is very interesting and has a great atmosphere overall.

The main character played by Sean Harris, is a career turning point for the actor, as it is above everything else he has done before! it's emotional and gripping till the very end.

When the movie ends, everything comes together and all the plot points from before suddenly makes sense. Some of the scenes building up in the beginning, can feel a bit tiresome because of the slow tempo and the long unbroken cuts. Some of the scenes might feel a bit irrelevant, although not lesser interesting because of that.

A very solid produced film, with great performances and a very nerving atmosphere that haunts you long after the movie ends.

It's rare today for a horror film to respect its audience as much as 'Possum' does. Horror films that ask their audience to concentrate, think and solve are becoming less and less popular. All people seem to want is the fast-food horror that 'The Conjuring' universe spews out 3-4 times a year. And that's fine if horror isn't the genre you go to when you're looking for a heavy and deep film, but I would suggest you are missing out on some rare treats like 'Possum'.

What's going to hurt this film with audiences the most is that it is admittedly very slow. A lot of the dialogue is cryptic and there is basically no action. Despite this though I found I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. It was almost hypnotising in a way. I was determined to work out exactly what the film was trying to tell me.

The film asks a lot of you. First of all to understand what it all means, and then to understand a twist through that same lens. I was fairly confident I had understood most of it, but I did read an explanation thread on the film afterwards just to be sure I had it right. Needless to say this film won't be for everyone, and some could even argue this isn't really a horror film, but if you feel like a challenge I'd recommend giving it a look.

Possum is a (very) slight yarn about shamed puppeteer Richie (Sean Harris) returning to the decaying home of his childhood. Richie spends his days wandering an undisclosed part of Norfolk ( population 10?) to the accompaniment of a Radiophonic Workshop soundtrack. There's a child abduction case lurking in the shadows too. Could Richie be involved, and what is that ghastly apparition nesting in the bowels of his bag? Yeah, on paper, this one sounded like it'd be right up my street. So its with heavy heart I regret to inform you that Holness' debut in the writer/director chair is a major disappointment.

Based on a self-penned short story (and showing every inch of it) Holness' painfully derivative Lynchian pseudo art-horror would have been rightly rejected before a frame had been shot had his name not been attached to it. However, it's less Eraserhead and more Frank Henenlotter's Basketcase gatecrashing David Cronenberg's Spider without the wit & intrigue of any of them. Surprise & suspense evaporate within the first 20 minutes and it spends the rest of its time hitting the same dull beat until the non-too-shocking anti-climactic reveal.

I do appreciate the repetitive nature of the narrative is intentional and is absolutely fundamental to the vivid picture it attempts to paint of a nightmare in a damaged brain. But the lack of variation in tone and design (not to mention locations) make for a very ugly and oppressive viewing experience, and not in the way it's creator would hope.

The performances are unconvincing too: Alun Armstrong as Richie's seedy Uncle Maurice, devours the scenery amateur-dramatics Bill Sykes style, whilst Harris (an actor I've irrationally had it in for since his rancid space-crusty turn in Prometheus) goes full method with one-note, misery-guts mug and mannered mannequin body contortions. And true to Lynch-clone fashion, he does it decked out in a gormless-looking, buttoned to the neck grey shirt.

Its ironic then that, the only positive thing to say about him (and Possum as a whole) is the major contribution he makes to the creepy-crawly thing you can see on the poster. The arachnid is sublime, and the only thing you'll remember long after you've forgotten the film.