POSSUM (2018)

4/16/19 - Possum (2018) 4+/10

Though the material certainly isn’t joyous, this isn’t a tough watch because of the unpleasant subject matter, but more because of the slow stifling nature of the film. This is a bitter English grind, as we creep by focused on tattered suburban brown, dirty British scowls and a clutching inability to destroy a puppet. There is ample ambiance and a visceral vibe, both aesthetically and psychologically, but that only takes you so far and for me, it began to feel more like an unending sand fall through the hourglass.

Sean Harris is pretty damn good as the sniveling shell of a failed puppeteer. He sports the stiffest of upper lips in this grotesquery of shame, self loathing, and inescapable nigh schizophrenia. His whole being is crippled with pain and horror and he does a masterful job of expressing it (watch his strained and marred running gate as an example) . His mannerisms and affectations were so effectively rigid and cold; it seemed like the kind of role & performance that would linger in one’s mind. He was committed and deserves praise.

I can’t talk about what happens in case you do wish to see it. There are definitely some unsettling and worthy elements that make it an unique experience, but it is plodding, repetitive and somewhat underwhelming on the whole. I appreciate what it wants to say, but the development is stunted and cruelly drug out. The end did not feel triumphant but it was a release, despite being less than fulfilling. I liked the idea of what it intended but not the defiantly tedium I received.