Affecting Only the Rich, or the World? : Possessor Analysis

by Samantha Shuma

The future of technology is a daunting thing. What new gadget will bring the world to its knees? Its intellect becomes unmatched, or it can make people into something completely outside the scope of what humanity should be capable of. Possessor (Brandon Cronenberg, 2020) brings the unethical and drab side of what technological advancements could have in store for us. The main story focuses on taking one’s consciousness into the body of another for the sake of committing untraceable crimes. This affects high value targets, select individuals who have a role in wealthy society. However, the film’s world reveals another evil, one that affects a larger population. This accessible technology shapes the way civilians work and take the element of treating employees well out of the question for large corporations. 

This analysis contains spoilers for Possessor, which covers a variety of horror and gore. Reader discretion is advised.

The film’s focus is Tas, a hired assassin for a secret organization. She does her killing not with her own hands, but with the hands of other people. As the title of the film implies, Tas ‘possesses’ a person close to the target, kills the target, then disconnects from the possessed by killing herself. This is done through a technological process, involving an implant being placed inside the host body and Tas is connected via a large headset. There, her consciousness fuses into the host and she has control over the host’s movement, and the original consciousness (belonging to the host’s body) is suppressed. The main hit of the film is against John Parse and Ava Parse, with the host being Ava’s boyfriend, Colin. John Parse is the owner of a data collecting company, his daughter being the next in line to own the company. Tas is put on the job because of Ava’s step brother, who hopes to take over the company once John and Ava are out of the picture. Problems arise during Tas’ hit when the connection between Colin and herself is not established properly. Colin’s consciousness takes control of himself while Tas is still inside him, making the completion of the hit spiral out of her control. 

This whole process of possessing someone is not done through consent, but by kidnapping the host and forcibly placing the implant into their brain. By the time they wake up from surgery, consciousness transfer has already been completed. Seeing that Colin fights back against Tas, it can be safe to assume that the host is aware of what is happening but is unable to stop it. This process of possession goes beyond coercion and manipulation of brainwashing someone. It streamlines the process by having the consciousness of someone willing to commit murder inside of you, and once the process has begun it is impossible to disconnect without destroying your body. All that is left for the host’s consciousness to do is watch in despair as their body is destroyed by their own hand. It goes without saying that this whole experience is immoral, with the host living through horrible events that ultimately causes the death of innocent people (both the hosts and Tas’ targets). Hosts are unwillingly subjected to being possessed. One day, Colin is hanging out with Ava, getting ready for dinner. The next he is kidnapped, has a device implanted into his brain, and he wakes up with someone else at the wheel. Unable to move or speak of his own will, he is trapped, forced to witness his world fall come apart by his hand. The string of events Colin goes through ends in death, which was inescapable the moment Tas took over him. The film agrees with this sentiment, sharing its views through character reaction and character consequences. This mainly happens through Colin, who fights against Tas for the control of his body. Tas and Colin undergo immersive mental strain, concluding with Colin having his own murderous impulses and killing Tas’ family. Tas is left with nothing, Colin ultimately dies, no one wins. Even the company Tas works for loses as she fails to fulfill the hit on John Parse. The lesson 'villains never win’ is shown here, illustrating how using this technology does not yield good results.

Colin’s suffering is at the forefront of this film, as he’s the first host to fight back. The technology making this all possible is incredible, yielding the unethical possibilities of ‘possession.’  However, this is technology that isn’t widely accessible. While the implications are grim, it does not affect a large population. However, the film presents another kind of technology, one being used by the public. Colin works at John Parse’s company as a data collector. Watching an array of visual media, he must take notes on a particular visual in the image, such as the kind of curtains or color of furniture. He does not work in an office, rather a room that could be equated to a sardine can. Rows of people sit on benches in a dank, windowless room. Colin takes a small seat among them. They are packed together, all mumbling their observations. The feeling of claustrophobia demonstrates horrid working conditions. However, workers are complacent due to their means of working, a virtual reality headset. Once Colin puts on the headset, we see the trap these workers are placed in. While they are cramped together, the headsets show them in a wide space, simulating their own private offices, with an open window and modern decor, with the perspective of sitting at a desk, and a monitor displaying the media they must make notes on. There is a disconnect between what the eye sees and what is reality. Although this is only a small portion of the film, it demonstrates something that is more of a realistic horror. This kind of technology isn’t far from reach, VR headsets are something that is already available for public use. It is mostly used for playing games and for streaming content, but it could easily be implemented in a working environment. It is completely possible for workers to be placed in horrible working conditions of a sweatshop while wearing VR headsets that show them otherwise. In Russia, we already do this for cows, having them wear headsets to have them believe they are somewhere else for the sake of yielding better milk. It is not a stretch to see this being done for people for the sake of producing a larger quantity of completed work. We see that Colin doesn’t take this use of technology well, as he becomes sick and isn’t able to work. But he is the exception, as his co-workers seem content enough as they diligently collect data.

The present seems to be reaching ever closer to how we see the future of technology. We see VR reality in Possessor and realize it’s a future that isn’t that far away. It may have a price tag or be on store shelves, but it is something that people could develop and soon impact the world. What will be the advancement that tears us apart or leaves us in worse state than what we currently in? Will it allow us to do more than what should be possible? Sure, the ability to posses someone may seem far fetched, but the reality that nurtured this advancement is not. Incorporating VR headsets into the working environment can have damning implications, which Possessor introduces to us in just a portion of it’s runtime. The main story focuses on taking one’s consciousness into the body of another for the sake of committing untraceable crimes. This affects high value targets, select individuals who have a role in wealthy society. However, the film’s world reveals another evil, one that affects a larger population. This accessible technology shapes the way civilians work and take the element of treating employees well out of the question for large corporations. 

Work Cited: 
“Russian Cows Get VR Headsets 'to Reduce Anxiety'.” BBC News, BBC, 27 Nov. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50571010. ​