Possession (2022) User Reviews

Atmospheric horror done right...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 27 December 2022]

I hadn't heard about the 2022 Norwegian horror movie "Forbannelsen" (aka "Possession") before stumbling upon it here late in 2022. And of course I had to watch it, since it was horror movie that I hadn't already seen, and given my fascination and life-long romance with the horror genre, of course I watched it.

Now, first of all, the English title is way off, because "Forbannelsen" does not mean "Possession", it means "Cursed". And that translated title would make way more sense, since the movie wasn't exactly about any kind of possession.

The storyline in "Forbannelsen", as written by writer and director Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken, was quite good as it was a historical era-based story with supernatural elements thrown into the formula. And it definitely worked well because the movie proved to be rather enjoyable. I really enjoyed the atmosphere that the was all the way throughout the course of the 104 minutes that the movie ran for.

It should be said that there is a lot of sub-plots to the storyline, and there is a lot that could be explored and delved further into, and director Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken was good at sort of putting a lot of layers to the movie, while sticking to the focal essence of the storyline.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Forbannelsen", but they had a great cast ensemble, because there were some good performances being put on here, from both adult and child performers alike. Much can be said about the main character Lauritz, but actor Jan Sælid really carried the movie quite well with his performance.

Visually then "Forbannelsen" was good. Now, this isn't a movie that makes use of an abudance of special effects of a myriad of bedazzling CGI effects. But the movie's atmosphere, the wardrobes, sets, props, etc. Really came nicely together to bring the movie to life on the screen.

I was genuinely entertained by "Forbannelsen" and it is a movie that I definitely think it quite well-worth watching. It is not a traditional horror movie with an abundance of jump scares and tricks to make the audience feel spooked, but instead it is an atmospheric and seeding horror that slowly, but surely, crawls in under the skin.

And while the movie definitely was watchable, I doubt that I will ever return to watch it a second time, simply because it didn't feel like there was enough contents to the storyline to support more than a single viewing.

My rating of "Forbannelsen" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

I think you've done enough already.

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 24 December 2022]

I watched the film reading the English subtitles. 1918. WWI, Spanish Flu, Norway. The Sami are treated as second class citizens. A Sami woman is about to die. She instructs her husband to raise one girl and to give the other to the preacher. The preacher (Jan Sælid) and his son Oscar (Tarjei Sandvik Moe) return home to their family. My (Eva Nergård) is the Sami adopted child spoken about by the narrator. She plays OUIJA with daughter Agathe (Anna Filippa Hjarne) who is a teen and is blind. The preacher has plans to build a church, but he has to take Sami land to do it, land they claim which has something on it they can not control. Some of the land has been ceded for mining. There are still folks in the community who have not converted to Christianity. In building the church they come across some ancient Sami graves, which they have no problem moving, placing the bones in boxes and into the basement of the preachers house. There are many things that start to happen. At first they can be explained, but as the film goes on there are some stranger things.

The film is a slow burn horror (not horrific) that drew me in. There are things that happen that are clearly supernatural, but not in a fantastic manner, it was more subtle. I enjoyed it, even if I didn't fully grasp the ending.

Guide: Male nudity. No swearing. Off screen sex and rape.

Manitou! But in spaaace!

[bertrandma · 5/10 · 28 December 2022]

This is not a very bad film: the costumes and the sets are particularly successful and nuanced, the acting is all around fairly good, and the script is restrained and to the point.

Unfortunately it is also not a particularly good one. Most of all because of its very, very formulaic premise ('Don't build your mall on an Indian burial ground. PS: you shouldn't build your church on a Sami one either.') The scenario unfolds slowly, without either thrill or surprise, and indeed, without much tension either. Predictably, your standard hypocritical rural cleric run afoul of nice but mysterious indigenous timeless traditions. The film's most promising feature, it's location in the Norwegian north, is not used much either (save for the stunning landscapes), and by the end I know nothing more about the Sami than I did at the start.

Slow burn with an interesting plot

[archanademonia · 7/10 · 23 April 2023]

I quite enjoyed this movie although I expected more. What? I don't know. Just...more. Although it was quite satisfying to watch. I wish they used more of the Sami lore, beliefs, traditions and culture in this movie, felt they barely scratched the surface and instead opted to deep root it more in the Smith family and plague.

All the actors are absolutely brilliant in this, most of the cast I've never seen before (except Dennis Storhøi), but they all played their characters exceptionally. I'm always sceptical to child actors but the girl playing My was phenomenal. Atmosphere is definitely creepy and dark, music and ambience fitting. I usually never watch horror movies and this one was more like a thriller to me.

I feel like this is one of those movies you only watch once, but I'm glad I did.

Watchable but not great and not horror.

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 30 December 2022]

Forbannelsen or Possession for the English title, although the correct translation should be The Cursed, is categorized as a horror movie so I was expecting something creepy, certainly with a title like that (Possession or The Cursed, it doesn't matter which one as they both fit the horror genre). The truth is that it wasn't a horror movie at all, well at least not by my standards. Nothing creepy here, just a story about building a church on a sacred ground, I'm sure we've all heard and seen it before, certainly done better in other movies, real horror movies. It's watchable though, just don't expect scary moments. The acting was all right, the cinematography could have been better, the story for sure could have been more exciting. It's all okay though, just the kind of movie you watch and forget all about it in a couple days.

To good to be true

[hansenroy-35477 · 10/10 · 10 October 2022]

The isolated north of scandinavia,Sampi with its nature and culture, has lots of hidden stories. This is one of them.

Maybe its because of the polar night and the irregular sleeping rythm, but the church has a dark history with the indigenous Sami.

This movie has a lot to offer for you, who is interested in "true horror".

I hope the Sami may regain what was taken from them by the priests; their culture, language and self esteem.

The director is combining several interesting plots. And each one deserves its own mini series by itself.

A lot of the movie may work with the history of religious norwegian migrants in the states and their contact with indigenous people around chicago.