Possession

obviously, you can't talk about possession without talking about isabelle adjani's career-defining performance, and it is the best performance by an actress i've ever seen and one of the best performances i've ever seen period. much like with philip seymour hoffman's performance in love liza, the movie on its own sadly isn't very good without the stellar acting to back it up.
though this may have soured on me since last watch, that certainly doesn't mean that i don't like it. i can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is one of the most unique movies i've ever seen, whether it be the anxious, almost claustrophobic camerawork, the grotesque visual effects or the also great performance by sam niell.
the main argument i have for isabella adjani's performance being so riveting is the infamous subway scene, and although she is great throughout it is here where she really shines and i think captures all the best parts of the movie.
my problems with possession can come down to a few things, but mainly the dialogue and pacing. annoyingly, this is one of those movies where you will constantly be turning the volume up and down to the point where it becomes tedious, as they are always either whispering or screaming at the top of their lungs, and even on the off chance that you can hear them the dialogue i feel just isn't very well written and made the movie a lot harder to follow.
as with the pacing, i think my dad described it best when he said it felt "stuck", and i definitely feel the same way. some parts had me bored and thinking about other things, and that's the worst thing imaginable when watching a movie. of course, possession has its high highs, but the low lows overshadow the movie to the point where they become the main things you remember about it.
overall, i still think possession is definitely worth a watch and i can't compliment the breathtaking performances enough, but at some times can be a slog to get through, and the ending can either be the explanation you needed or an absolute dealbreaker where the film loses all is credibility.