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Possessor

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TVTItem
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Possessor
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Possessor is a 2020 sci-fi psychological horror film written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, his second feature after Antiviral. An international co-production between Canada and the UK, the film stars Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott, with Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean and Jennifer Jason Leigh among the supporting actors.The film takes place 20 Minutes into the Future, where a secretive organization exists that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies, ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.Tasya Vos (Riseborough) is a corporate assassin who works for this organization, and while she has a special gift for the work, her experiences imitating other people have caused her to become detached from her own identity, and she suffers from thoughts of violence that she cannot separate from her home life.Despite her fragile mental state, Vos signs on to a major job targeting wealthy CEO John Parse (Bean) and his daughter Ava (Middleton), which will be executed by possessing Ava's fiancé Colin (Abbott). However, both her mental strain and the unexpected nature of her target create grave complications for Vos, and she begins to lose control.Possessor debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in January, and premiered in the US, the UK and Canada later that fall. There were notably two versions of the film released: Possessor and Possessor Uncut. Uncut, the unrated director's cut that screened at Sundance, is considered to be the definitive version of the film, as the other version underwent several cuts to obtain an R rating — mainly to remove several instances of graphic violence and nudity.
 Possessor
fetched
2024-01-23T00:16:01Z
 Possessor
parsed
2024-01-23T00:16:01Z
 Possessor
processingComment
Dropped link to Bowdlerise: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Possessor
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Possessor / int_143939c1
type
Trailers Always Spoil
 Possessor / int_143939c1
comment
Trailers Always Spoil: The official trailer reveals pretty much the entire plot, from the opening assassination to the failed attempt on Parse to Colin threatening Vos's family, leaving out only the smallest bits of context and the ending itself.
 Possessor / int_143939c1
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Possessor / int_143939c1
 Possessor / int_21bde5e8
type
The Tooth Hurts
 Possessor / int_21bde5e8
comment
The Tooth Hurts: In addition to poking his eye out, Vos also stabs Parse in the mouth with the poker during her assasination attempt, graphically shattering many of his teeth in the process.
 Possessor / int_21bde5e8
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Possessor / int_21bde5e8
 Possessor / int_21d70919
type
Crapsack World
 Possessor / int_21d70919
comment
Crapsack World: In this alternate 2008, having your privacy being stolen via your webcam is such a commonplace occurrence that nobody seems that alarmed about it.
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Possessor / int_21d70919
 Possessor / int_269e82c1
type
Death of a Child
 Possessor / int_269e82c1
comment
Death of a Child: Not only does Ira not survive the movie, his death is just as violent as everyone else’s.
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Possessor / int_269e82c1
 Possessor / int_2d363f63
type
Frame-Up
 Possessor / int_2d363f63
comment
Frame-Up: Every person Vos possesses to kill someone with a Mind-Control Device takes the fall for the murder, since no one else knows who's really behind the crime. They're killed too afterward, so even a (likely ineffectual) claim that it wasn't them isn't heard.
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Possessor / int_2d363f63
 Possessor / int_2e206837
type
Bed Trick
 Possessor / int_2e206837
comment
Bed Trick: Vos has sex with Colin's girlfriend in his body.
 Possessor / int_2e206837
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Possessor / int_2e206837
 Possessor / int_2e8441c9
type
The Bad Guy Wins
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comment
The Bad Guy Wins: Girder succeeds in ridding Vos of her human attachments so that she can perform as a perfect assassin. Furthermore, though John Parse survives the assassination attempt, he's a completely broken man and clearly unfit to run the company, so Reid (who tried to get his own father and sister killed so he could inherit everything) will likely still succeed.
 Possessor / int_2e8441c9
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 Possessor / int_4db42cf3
type
Male Frontal Nudity
 Possessor / int_4db42cf3
comment
Male Frontal Nudity: Vos, possessing Colin, watches as a naked Englishman whose penis is seen fully erect prepares for sex with his female partner. Later, as she's having sex with Ava in Colin's body, Vos imagines herself instead physically there, but with an erect penis that is also explicitly seen.
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Possessor / int_4db42cf3
 Possessor / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Possessor / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: Vos kills her husband Michael before then shooting and killing their son Ira. In the de-briefing after Colin expires and Vos is pulled out of the machine, she's shown the pinned butterfly from the beginning. This time around, she doesn't mention that she felt guilty about killing the insect, indicating that she's lost any remaining empathy and compassion she still had.
 Possessor / int_4e3d253b
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Possessor / int_4e3d253b
 Possessor / int_504a1991
type
Body Horror
 Possessor / int_504a1991
comment
Body Horror: As Eddie tries to get Vos to regain control over Colin, Colin hallucinates killing Vos and stealing her face, to the creepy effect seen on the poster image.
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Possessor / int_504a1991
 Possessor / int_6654b17b
type
Facial Horror
 Possessor / int_6654b17b
comment
Facial Horror: Vos horrifically disfigures John Parse's face with a fire poker when she tries to kill him.
 Possessor / int_6654b17b
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Possessor / int_6654b17b
 Possessor / int_67a7cd88
type
Battle in the Center of the Mind
 Possessor / int_67a7cd88
comment
Battle in the Center of the Mind: Occurs between Vos and Colin as she tries to take over the latter's body.
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Possessor / int_67a7cd88
 Possessor / int_6cc39b20
type
Puppeteer Parasite
 Possessor / int_6cc39b20
comment
Puppeteer Parasite: Vos serves as this for her hosts.
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Possessor / int_6cc39b20
 Possessor / int_6d332aea
type
Driven to Suicide
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comment
Driven to Suicide: After killing someone, Vos has the host commit suicide, or at least attempts to make them do so.
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1.0
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Possessor / int_6d332aea
 Possessor / int_72217e12
type
Murder, Inc.
 Possessor / int_72217e12
comment
Murder, Inc.: The mysterious corporation hitwoman Vos and her handler Girder serve arranges hits on people with a patsy who's possessed by one of their assassins using a Mind-Control Device. Physicians and techs also work for them in support of these operations.
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 Possessor / int_73418f96
type
Psychic-Assisted Suicide
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comment
Psychic-Assisted Suicide: Vos tries to make her hosts kill themselves at the end of her using them as her patsy for assassinating someone, which indicates its standard procedure. They both resist this though and she can't force the action.
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 Possessor / int_87a38662
type
Murder-Suicide
 Possessor / int_87a38662
comment
Murder-Suicide: After each assassination, hitwoman Vos tries to make the person she's possessing for this kill themself, and it appears this is her employer's standard means of tying up loose ends. However, in neither case can she make this work.
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Possessor / int_87a38662
 Possessor / int_898ff050
type
Villain Protagonist
 Possessor / int_898ff050
comment
Villain Protagonist: Tasya Vos, an emotionless assassin, is the film's lead.
 Possessor / int_898ff050
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Possessor / int_898ff050
 Possessor / int_8b606a51
type
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
 Possessor / int_8b606a51
comment
There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Many of Vos's kills reflect this with extremely gory results.
 Possessor / int_8b606a51
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1.0
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Possessor / int_8b606a51
 Possessor / int_95c2a9dd
type
Outliving One's Offspring
 Possessor / int_95c2a9dd
comment
Outliving One's Offspring: Both Tasya and John have lost their children by the end of the film, although neither seems particularly fazed by their losses.
 Possessor / int_95c2a9dd
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 Possessor / int_a2b38d3b
type
Eye Scream
 Possessor / int_a2b38d3b
comment
Eye Scream: In the Facial Horror mentioned below, Vos manages to pluck Parse’s eyeball out while attempting to kill him.
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Possessor / int_a2b38d3b
 Possessor / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
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comment
Karma Houdini: Girder succeeds in getting Vos to kill every single target, including her own family, without getting caught.
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 Possessor / int_a8a04f6f
type
And I Must Scream
 Possessor / int_a8a04f6f
comment
And I Must Scream: Heavily implied. In the opening scene, Holly is shown in tears before and after the assassination, even struggling to place the gun in her mouth, implying she’s putting up a fight from the inside. Later, Colin confronts Vos directly in his own mind. Also implied to be the case with John Parse, who survives the attempt on his life but is severely injured, both physically and mentally, in the process, and is last seen confined to a wheelchair in his garden with a look of pure despair on his scarred face, having lost essentially everything from his life.
 Possessor / int_a8a04f6f
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 Possessor / int_b1346878
type
Fate Worse than Death
 Possessor / int_b1346878
comment
Fate Worse than Death: Parse survives the assassination attempt but must now live with a missing eye, a heavily mutilated face, severe brain damage, and a deceased daughter. The last shot of him in the movie shows him confined to a wheelchair in his garden, exhibiting a look of complete despair and resignation.
 Possessor / int_b1346878
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Possessor / int_b1346878
 Possessor / int_b58b4e3c
type
Too Dumb to Live
 Possessor / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: When Colin (under Vos' control) returns to confront Parse while he's drinking some scotch, Parse is completely unphased by Colin pulling out a loaded pistol and refusing to leave the mansion. Parse doesn't take this threat seriously at all (even though Colin had attempted to beat him up at the party earlier), so it's not surprising what follows when he mumbles at Colin to get lost before standing up to go to bed.
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Possessor / int_b58b4e3c
 Possessor / int_b9db28ab
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Emotionless Girl
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comment
Emotionless Girl: Vos is extremely out-of-touch with her personal life, which Girder views as a good thing, as it means she's close to becoming a perfect assassin. She has trouble relating to her family and has to practice what she'll say to them in the same way she practices taking over someone else's body.
 Possessor / int_b9db28ab
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 Possessor / int_bbddadc4
type
Murder in the Family
 Possessor / int_bbddadc4
comment
Murder in the Family: The assassination against John and Ava Parse is set up by Ava's brother Reid, who wants to inherit the company instead of Ava.
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1.0
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Possessor / int_bbddadc4
 Possessor / int_c0b6ded
type
Lie Back and Think of England
 Possessor / int_c0b6ded
comment
Lie Back and Think of England: Vos is shown having sex with her husband (who she has separated from) on the night of her visit with him and their son. She appears expressionless and just lies there underneath him.
 Possessor / int_c0b6ded
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Possessor / int_c0b6ded
 Possessor / int_c601fc37
type
Professional Killer
 Possessor / int_c601fc37
comment
Professional Killer: Tasya Vos is a well-trained corporate assassin who possesses people using a Mind-Control Device to use for assassinations.
 Possessor / int_c601fc37
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 Possessor / int_c6102eb0
type
Grand Theft Me
 Possessor / int_c6102eb0
comment
Grand Theft Me: What Vos does to Colin and her other hosts via Mind-Control Device.
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Possessor / int_c6102eb0
 Possessor / int_c660bc15
type
Fan Disservice
 Possessor / int_c660bc15
comment
Fan Disservice: All the sex in the movie is portrayed as such. Vos can't get over thoughts of violence when having sex with her husband, and the sight of frontal nudity involving Colin and Ava is undermined by the fact that Vos is possessing his body the whole time. Vos, while possessing Colin, also sees a British couple right before and then while they have sex, but only because she's spying on them.
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 Possessor / int_d5b3df2d
type
Dark Action Girl
 Possessor / int_d5b3df2d
comment
Dark Action Girl: Tasya Vos is an emotionless, trained assassin who, through brain implant technology, possesses unfortunate victims to carry out assassinations. She is scarily competent at her job.
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Possessor / int_d5b3df2d
 Possessor / int_de89c0a1
type
Dating What Daddy Hates
 Possessor / int_de89c0a1
comment
Dating What Daddy Hates: John Parse is clearly not thrilled that his daughter is dating a common drug dealer, and it's implied that this isn't the first time she's brought home an unworthy suitor. Despite this, Ava truly seems to love Colin.
 Possessor / int_de89c0a1
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Possessor / int_de89c0a1
 Possessor / int_e22feb9c
type
Mind-Control Device
 Possessor / int_e22feb9c
comment
Mind-Control Device: People are possessed by a hitwoman via special brain implants which allow remote control over their bodies. However, they don't work perfectly, as forcing the host into suicide doesn't work during the film, and the second person possessed is able to take back control intermittently.
 Possessor / int_e22feb9c
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 Possessor / int_e28f88b8
type
Last-Name Basis
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comment
Last-Name Basis: Girder is only known by her surname.
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Possessor / int_e28f88b8
 Possessor / int_e542d889
type
Gorn
 Possessor / int_e542d889
comment
Gorn: There isn’t a single death in the movie that doesn’t result in horrific blood loss.
 Possessor / int_e542d889
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Possessor / int_e542d889
 Possessor / int_e70127
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The Mole
 Possessor / int_e70127
comment
The Mole: Eddie actually works for Vos's company and is a mole in Parse's.
 Possessor / int_e70127
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Possessor / int_e70127
 Possessor / int_f32d85ab
type
20 Minutes into the Future
 Possessor / int_f32d85ab
comment
20 Minutes into the Future: The movie has some Cyberpunk vibes and technology but is otherwise grounded in reality in an unspecified time period.
 Possessor / int_f32d85ab
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Possessor / int_f32d85ab
 Possessor / int_f88f2449
type
Downer Beginning
 Possessor / int_f88f2449
comment
Downer Beginning: The film starts with Vos controlling a young hostess to assassinate a target and then commit Suicide by Cop.
 Possessor / int_f88f2449
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Possessor / int_f88f2449
 Possessor / int_f9ab4501
type
R-Rated Opening
 Possessor / int_f9ab4501
comment
R-Rated Opening: In just the first ten minutes, Vos forces an innocent woman to brutally stab a man to death before getting shot to death by the police.
 Possessor / int_f9ab4501
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Possessor / int_f9ab4501
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Possessor

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Possessor
hasFeature
B-Movie / int_d75faaaf
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Canadian Movies / int_d75faaaf
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Films of the 2020s / int_d75faaaf
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Grand Theft Me / int_d75faaaf
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Male Frontal Nudity / int_d75faaaf
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Murder, Inc. / int_d75faaaf
 Possessor
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Murder-Suicide / int_d75faaaf
 Possessor
hasFeature
Professional Killer / int_d75faaaf
 Possessor
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Psychic-Assisted Suicide / int_d75faaaf
 Possessor
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Sci-Fi Horror / int_d75faaaf