Possession (2002 film)

• Gwyneth Paltrow: Maud Bailey
• Aaron Eckhart: Roland Michell
• Jeremy Northam: Randolph Henry Ash
• Jennifer Ehle: Christabel LaMotte

Obsessed ( Original title: Possession ) is an American- British movie from 2002 was directed by Neil LaBute, the screenplay is by David Henry Hwang, Laura Jones and Neil LaBute on the basis of the novel Possession by AS Byatt. . Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart play two literary scholars who research on the life of poet Christabel LaMotte and Randolph Ash, who had an extramarital relationship. Here, between the two developed a close proximity.

Action

The literary scholar Maud Bailey and Roland Michell explore the life of people living in England in the 19th century poetess Christabel LaMotte. They note that these had an affair with the married poet Randolph Henry Ash. In flashbacks the love story of Ash and LaMotte is told.

In a hotel Bailey and Michell come closer, but due to a misunderstanding, it is not to act, the two talk about Maud's relationship fears. They learn that LaMotte lived a year with her ​​cousin in France and in that time a document emanating from Ash and Ash gave birth to a child told to have killed the child. In reality, it was raised by an adoptive family. This revealed LaMotte in a letter find Bailey and Michell. LaMotte wrote this letter to the terminally ill Ash asked in another letter Ash's wife to give this letter to her husband, who, however, was already deceased at this time.

Maud regrets that Ash could never know of the existence of his child. She also notes that the Adoptive Family Bailey was called and she belongs to the offspring of Christabel LaMotte.

In the last flashback is shown that Ash meets his daughter once randomly and detects. She lost on the way home the letter that he had given her for " Aunt Christabel ," and conceals the encounter.

Publications and reception

Owned launched on 16 August 2002 in the American cinema, where he played in visitor numbers in excess of 1.74 million in October to over ten million U.S. dollars. This was followed by theatrical release in several other countries. While the film in the UK was with attendance of about 70,000 not a success, it was the case in Italy, where the film started off on 4 October 2002, viewed over 172,000 times. The German theatrical release was 28 November 2002.

Critics took the film on differently. AO Scott criticized in The New York Times, the film is an " honorable and interesting letdown ". "He is below the seal at all, but is not a bad prose. " Roger Ebert wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times a positive review for the film. This does not provide a serious test of science or poetry, but an intelligent romance. The fact that both characters are so attractive is confusing.

Awards

The film was nominated for a Golden Trailer Award.