Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor.

I finally got around to watching Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor, since it's now available on streaming services. He's the son of David Cronenberg, and even though this is only his 3rd film, it's clear that he's following in his father's footsteps, with a focus on body horror and/or disintegration of the mind.

The story follows an elite, corporation assassin named Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough), who takes control of other people's bodies with the use of brain implant technology to carry out well paying kills. Tasya's latest contract is to assassinate the CEO of a massive corporation and his daughter, leaving the son as the sole inheritor of the family business. This is done by possessing the daughter's fiance (Christopher Abbott), who will be used to carry out the hits. Something ends up going wrong, and Tasya finds herself battling with the host for control of the body.

Just like his father, Brandon isn't afraid to shy away from brutal, graphic violence. There are some intense scenes in this film that are sure to please gorehounds. He also has a knack for displaying sick, twisted science. His first film, 2012's Antiviral, was about people who are willing to pay top dollar to become infected with the disease of their favorite celebrity, all in an effort to feel closer to the object of their obsession. Here, we have mind control to carry out assassination hits.

While the concept is compelling and has a lot of potential, the main problem with this film are the characters. Tasya is simply not very interesting. It's obvious that the impact of doing this work has made her almost numb, but the issue it presents is that it makes you not care for her at all, as she's just so vague and empty. Whether a main character is a hero or villain, they need to be compelling in order to fully engage the viewer in their journey. Andrea Riseborough does the best she can with what she's given, but it's not enough to make you relate to or care her for Tasya. This is especially important during the climax of the film, which features her husband and son. Since you have no real connection to her, the ending leaves not much of an impact. Christopher Abbott does a little better, but his character isn't given enough back story to make you sympathize with him as much as you should. Possessor is an interesting but ultimately empty film. I have to give Brandon credit for ambition. He presents fascinating science fiction ideas that show a lot of possibility. This probably would've worked better as a series, giving it enough time to fully flesh out the characters and make their journey engaging. As a film, it's nice to look at but mostly unmemorable.

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