Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pagePossession (2002)
Director: Neil LaBute
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A Yank at Oxford, Roland Michell chances across a lost letter by Victorian writer Randolph Ash. Not only is this document valuable in itself, but the contents suggest Ash was infatuated with Christabel LaMotte, a minor poet and lesbian icon. Michell enlists the aid of a sceptical Dr Maud Bailey - a distant relative of Christabel - to pursue this biographical scoop. Their vicarious interest in the Victorians' passionate affair almost overcomes their own late 20th century neuroses and inhibitions. 'Literary' novels rarely inspire good movies, and AS Byatt's Booker prizewinner is no exception. It's not often one yearns for the finesse of James Ivory, but as anyone who has seen LaBute's sour contemporary comedies will tell you, he has never betrayed a great affinity for romance. His major innovation here is to reconceive Michell as rugged, designer-stubbled American go-getter Eckhart, who carries himself like a jock, not an academic. With her perfectly posh accent, Paltrow's Maud unconsciously caricatures the condescending, repressed Brit. Northam and Ehle are more persuasive in their roles, but the 19th century lovers are too firmly fixed in the past tense to come truly to life.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: Neil LaBute
Producer: Paula Weinstein, Barry Levinson
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle, Lena Headey, Toby Stephens, Tom Hollander, Trevor Eve, Tom Hickey, Graham Crowden, Anna Massey, Holly Aird full cast
Duration: 102 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now