Watch Possession For Free

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Don't Believe the Hype

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Possession (2002): Dir: Neil LaBute / Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Lena Headley, Jennifer Ehle: Two movies in one with a theme of influence. Aaron Eckhart plays a literary student trying to piece together several letters written by a Victorian poet. Gwyneth Paltrow assists him and romance blooms. Dwelling on flashbacks is crucial to the story effect. The villains who attempt to sabotage their search serve no purpose. Director Neil LaBute previously made the intriguing dark comedy Nurse Betty, another film about someone inflicted with confusing messages. Here he successful combines romance and mystery within what can be called two films in one. Paltrow pulls off a sympathetic performance as a woman bent on solving a mystery of love yet finding it herself. She plays off her role with intelligence and wit while Echhart is effective as the determined student joining her in the mystery. One benefit is that Paltrow and Eckhart are not involved in a dimwitted rom com. Jeremy Northam, and Jennifer Ehle are superb in Victorian roles whose story effectively parallels the other but in a more tragic sense. Other roles are placed too far in the background to matter. Theme regards power of love and our dictation whether it will flourish or die. Final scene is significant upon how history can be affected by carelessness. Enchanting romance with stunning art direction and spellbinding parallels. Score: 8 ½ / 10

I missed this movie when it was first released, I finally got to see it & am glad I did.It is a romantic love story, told the old fashioned way,by people talking. Outside of some kissing & vague moments, we feel the romance & love without being subjected to needless nude sex scene.Neil LaBute directs David Henry Hwang's screenplay adaptation of A.S. Byatt's novel with care.Aaron Eckhart & Gwyneth Paltrow are researchers & find part of a love letter written 150 ago,between a 2 poets who supposedly never met Jeremy Northam & Jennifer Ehle play this couple from the past/Every scene is just beautiful, the acting by all is first rate.It did have a modest release across the USA,But regretfully did not do the business It should have.This type of film was standard movie fare years back,I think it still should be. Iprobably would have given it the same rating if it were released in 1952.Ratings: ***1/2 (out of 4) 02 points (out of 100) IMDb 9 (out of 10)

After watching the movie, I now want to read the book. I am a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. She reminds me of Catherine. This is a great romantic movie that has great flashbacks between 21st century and 19th century England. Great plot. I think the main character played as an American worked - somewhat out of his depth when playing against the the Maud Bailey character - but it seemed natural that they were attracted to each other. Just as Jonathan is attracted to Catherine, and yearns to be close to her, so Roland's and Maud's desires surface and cannot be denied. The story unfolds with elements of mystery that keep you wondering. And, what makes this move for me is that, at the end, all the main characters in the story have "happy endings"... this is what I feel makes for a great romantic movie. If only it was so in real life.

Watching Gwyneth play the insipid role of Gwyneth with her blue blood accent, and Aaron Eckhart playing a gridiron player who somehow loved nothing better than a poetry touchdown, I thought, the best one might do to salvage this tragic film would be to swap the leads over. Their Victorian counterparts were wonderful, with a depth to their portrayals utterly convincing. That said, I guess the shallow romance of the modern protagonists (as depicted by the screenplay - Byatt's writing being the superior) was perhaps best befitted by the actors who played them. Enough range in their beings to slap together a limerick perhaps, nothing more though.