I love the line "my father taught me, it runs in our family." Hinting that Morris was abused by his father, and ties in with the theme of the cycle of abuse.
Possum is a masterclass in minimalism. Made for virtually nothing, in wasteland locations, carried by the acting chops of Sean Harris. He deserved awards for this. The physical embodiment of trauma. This movie still squats in the dark of my subconscious.
I think part of what made the puppet so awful was that it didn't have the face of a scary monster, but the face of person who had been traumatized... Phillip's face. A very haunting and ghoulish film for sure.
There is ONE single moment Sean Harris smiled in this movie, and it's the moment that the Possum puppet first embraces him, before forcing the smile back into a frown of hatred as he stares at the puppet.
Just as an added thing some Americans may miss about this movie - Philip calls the young teacher guy outside the school "sir" and the young teacher when he visits looking for his old teacher "miss" - we don't use those words in the same way as the US, and in the context of Philip - a 30/40 something man - calling two schoolteachers Sir and Miss is wildly infantile, super jarring, like using "mummy" and "daddy" as a 30 year old lol. its basically showing just how traumatised the guy was from his school experiences, he never left school in his mind.
I thought the puppet was a representation of trauma from abuse philp suffered from Morris. The idea of black balloons and the horrible candy jar etc. Its how Morris inverted or corrupted things a child will enjoy in order to take advantage of phillip. The cinematography is fantastic as the wintery cold wet run-down decaying landscapes just imposes an uneasy, uncomfortable feeling that sits with you throughout the entire movie.
Maybe people have noticed before but at 12:47 you can compare the puppet head and Philip's face and we can assume that they are very similar and its probably a 3D scan/print of Sean Harris face.
I wrote an essay at uni about this film as it's one of my personal favourites- Luckily, i was able to get in contact with Matthew Holness who confirmed that the use of the black balloons was intended to be a visualiser to represent the smoke from the house fire that Morris had set to kill his parents I believe. I also enquired about the candy/candy jar and he said it was quite ambiguous but one theory he had for himself during writing is that a lot of abusers use a 'reward system' for their victims so this is what it was intended to symbolise.
This film is so well acted, directed and conceptualised, anyone can tell immediately that it's about cycles of abuse, guilt and shame. It's the literal plot and sequence of events that needs to be figured out, it's a unique twist on how movies are usually presented.
To me it was Phillip was kidnapped and abused by Maurice. The puppet represented trauma and the candy represented the obedience to Maurice and being groomed by him. Perhaps Phillip was just repeating the same abuse done by Maurice? And the fox is the death of childhood innocence after assault/abuse.
As a survivor of CSA, this movie is the best representation of the experience of living with the shame and the rage and the revulsion that permeates every aspect of your life. It's brilliant. And I will NEVER watch it again.
I was abused by a similar bastard, i hate people who think all abused kids turn into nonces were the opposite, you and I, we only wish for retribution, blessings warrior brother
I liked Possum...I can't say I enjoyed Possum. This movie isn't so much a scary movie, it's a deeply upsetting one. You're the first person that got that Maurice is long gone, dead or in prison, but his effects have never left. Though I always thought the entire environment was a psy-scape of Phillip and Michael was a symbol of Phillips inner self.
I know the feeling. I love this movie but not sure I'd say I enjoy it. (I do not remember if I say that in the video or not 😅) But it is a movie I wish everyone would watch atleast once. I actually just talked about Michael in the last comment. And I went back and forth on if he is real or if he is just another representation of Philip himself. Still not sure and I think that is okay, the genius of this movie is in everyone taking it in differently and dealing with the trauma that is here in their own way.
@@PolterGibbst Too true. I ran on this film thinking it was just going to be a fairly standard horror movie about a killer puppet...I was wrong about that. Also the fact that the director Matthew Holness was most known for comedy, made me think it was going to be a comedy horror...Yikes!
Yeah, I think you're right. Michael was just a symbol, he saw him on the train, but after that, the kidnapping is just in his imagination. He overcomes the tendency to repeat the cycle of abuse and violence..
@@PolterGibbst Thank you for the 'spoiler alert' early on. I paused, and went to find the film - streamed it, and came back to watch your vid. Thanks again. I'd compare the experience to my first watch of "Eraserhead" and Fritz Lang's "M".
BUT - I did not 'get' that Maurice was never actually there! Ho-lee Sheeee-it! Now I WILL have to watch again (like I had to immediately re-watch "Sixth Sense").
Sean Harris is a phenomenal actor, he does sleazy despicable people so well. Witness him in Harry Brown opposite Michael Caine "you neglected to maintain your weapon"! Classic.
I think that's the first thing I saw him in, and it's burned into my head. I don't mean to insult the man, but he has the perfect face for character. He really pulled off the gaunt intravenous-opiate-enjoyer look lol
@@zekeedwards7904 for some reason nobody seems to have watched that film but you're definitely right, it's highly underrated. The opening scene has one of the most realistic and terrifying portrayals of being attacked I've ever seen. Mr Harris is as great and as eccentric as ever in the role he plays.
love these kinds of channels, old school youtube feel with new school quality. not over edited or over written, just a cool dude sharing his opinion of things he likes. instantly subbed.
Thank you. That's really all it was is I just needed a way to share the movies I like with others. And luckily it seems to be working better than I could have imagined at the start
@@manplusshield7079 nice, as soon as I get my PC upgraded I'm hoping I'll be able to actually put out videos consistently. No more crashing in the middle of an edit would be great. Glad you're here.
hey, algorithm seems to be on fire for me as of lately, such a good video on one of my favourite movies! possum is unbelievably tense and uncomfortable, with so much meaning and layers, delving into the cycles of abuse and the deep harm done on a person trying to bury the trauma, almost nothing comes close to it. and you absolutely did it justice by this vid! much love from ukraine!
LETS GO! Super glad you enjoyed it, video took me forever but I knew with a movie like Possum it needed to be just right. That way both people who love and those who hate this movie can still see why it should be treated as a Masterpiece.
@@PolterGibbst loved the movie, thought i was the only one to watch and love it! even wrote a song inspired by it if you want to listen go to th-cam.com/video/GD0-j6vJHLk/w-d-xo.html
@@Gabu_ That's not the point. Philipp is not a good perso, but he stopped himself from violating that boy and instead let him go free, breaking the cycle
OR maurcie was long dead, and the boy who he helped escape was in fact a younger version of himself. if you notice the boy is drawing in the beginning in philips note book on the train.
Apparently not, I'm completely shocked at the comments. All of his "is it beginning to make sense yet?" "Shocked to see the mirror" "how is the puppet here?" etc. etc. This video made me angry. Then I read the comments like "what if maurice wasn't there" and realized that people really were confused. From when he looks at the boy on the train it's exceedingly obvious. I don't even know what other interpretation anyone could possibly have. Every line, every action in the movie only points to a singular theme. Then why would watching it twice help if you misinterpreted it the first time? There's not going to be new information, I really do not understand this video. I was actively hoping for there to be more to it just to prove me wrong, like if watching it twice actually would change things because there was a twist at the end, but no, it's just as obvious as it should be. There's another video on his channel where he talks about another movie with multiple endings being made to hide the twist, but the twist is the only outcome you could expect and the endings are after the twist so it doesn't even make sense either.
I did realize it was a movie about trauma before you explained it, but man, the ways some artists depict that is incredible, like here its never literally explained but you can understand it clearly after doing a deeper analysis
Oh man, I can't even imagine 😅 To have a connection like that to a movie like this, I completely get why you woul feel that way. But can't picture a movie like this happening in my own town... but maybe one of these days I'll have to make my own 😂
I haven't read all the comments so forgive me if I'm repeating somebody. I've just watched the movie again with your perspective in mind and it barely matched what I was seeing. I.e. I'm not convinced Maurice isn't real. Consider how Philip would have got the boy back to the house? In the first interaction the boy is fearful and flees. Philip has zero charisma and no means to kidnap anyone. It's reasonably obvious which scenes are part of Philips insanity and which are real and Maurice (as a person) doesn't feature in any of the surreal ones. Next consider the ending. When Maurice appears he's wearing a balaclava. This is because he's hiding his identity from the kid. You have the visceral reveal of Maurice's true character, and the catharsis of Philip's fight back. If you put that all in Philip's head you lose so much. Note that he doesn't fight back until he realises there's someone in the trunk. Your theory suggests he already knows the kid is in there. I think there's a tendancy to think x character is a figment of someone's imagination but the ending reinforces that he is real and that Philip is not the culprit.
"The moonlight shone down on the place unhindered. The gnarled parapets jagged upwards, like a bony hand of icy indifference. In the background, there was a pigeon" -Garth Marenghi
Its clear that Maurice had abused Phillip, and so he has him continue to abuse him as a revenant, and the possum is clearly dealing with his dark desires for children, carried on from Maurice. He did end the cycle, but I don't imagine anyone in his world sympathising with him.
I think the possum is his shame spiral. With the fox [11:23], and whenever Maurice $CENSORED$... he froze. He hates himself for it. Can't forget, can't bury it, can't throw it away. The monster-Possum of the poem is his defense mechanism, a mask/fantasy he invented to protect his ego, and an outlet for his impotent rage. In the end, he's able to accept the trauma. He was a victim. The puppet's not driving him anymore.
What if Maurice was never there in the house with him. He was making him up as an excuse to be what Maurice was and caused him to be. Him killing Maurice at the end and letting the kid out was actually just letting the kid that he captured out, "killing" Maurice and the chain of abuse that he caused.
I absolutely love this movie, it speaks to me in a terrible way and Sean's performance embodies a very traumatized man. I wish the director would give more of a certain ending, but he has said that we don't know if Phillip is good or bad. And that the ending doesn't answer questions on purpose, I I suppose it's up to the viewer. I do think that many people don't think hard enough about it though lol. Personally I don't think the kid was even kidnapped or real. It felt like another hallucination to me. He saw himself in the kid, and the director mentions that the original short story he wrote was based on puppets, and doubles. I feel the kid just reminded him of his trauma a lot, and this further broke his already broken psyche. The ending is really him trying to take back his life from Maurice. I also think he looks at the spots where he "dumped" the bag because his uncle dumped the evidence of his own murders in those spots. Like how he gets chased by the Puppet in the barracks, and then Maurice says "you knew it was me in those barracks didn't you?" There's so damn much to this movie and I love hearing others interpretation. I wish it was more popular.
Me too. Originally when I was recording this movie I was kind of upset with a lot of people who also talked about it. Like right from the beginning I was going to explain how they didn't know what they were missing out on. My main problem was they watched it one time and told others it was too disturbing to watch. Making most people never want to watch it in the first place. Especially after they attempted to explain it and did a very poor job. But yes this movie is great and I'm finding I love movies that can be explained and talked about in different ways like this one. Makes it that much more personal which is amazing. Hopefully the more my channels grows the more new people will be introduced to this video and ultimately the film itself.
Sean Harris is criminally underrated and I wish he got more leading roles. That being said, I'm so happy he got the main role for this one. He killed it. I felt so bad for Phillip but I was so creeped out. It's an odd feeling to have towards the protagonist while not outright making him the villain.
Here's the really creepy part that a lot of younger people might not know. In the U.S., there was a case where a man kidnapped a young boy and "raised" him as his own kid while doing unspeakable things to this boy but when this boy reached a certain age, that man decided to kidnap another kid to "raise" the same way and do the same things to this new young boy. The teen, who had endured 7 years of this, took the young boy and left, going to the police and telling them everything. The teen was returned to his family and you'd think that it would be a "happy ending" but Steven Stayner (his real name) died a few years later in a motorcycle accident after surviving real hell & saving the latest victim. This movie hits different when you know there's real life story, from the 1970s, that's very similar. This movie is NOT based on the true story of Steven Stayner and not even inspired by that tragic event either.
I always thought that Maurice sexually abused Phillip throughout his childhood and he was the one who assaulted Phillip in the forest. The teacher saw it and offered him help, but Phillip was too traumatised to say anything and he declined or the teacher might have backed out. The candies were like bribes, Maurice might have offered them to Phillip in exchange for "favors" and that's why he's so terrified of the candy jar, because he knows that if he accepts them, Maurice will make him do something he doesn't want to do.
I do believe that it shows the struggle within oneself to overcome trauma. There are so many dark holes to fall down. It is so difficult to sift between the self and trauma. We absorb our experiences into our DNA. You cannot just forget it or push it away as it will always come back. You could be a perpetual victim your whole life, or you could just avoid life and isolate, or you could become the abuser. The trauma haunts one in ways that push them toward cycle of broken people. Being a survivor is a better option. A survivor understands what happened and is on a path to restoring balance in their life. They are not in trauma but they are not thriving. They have support and resources from a community they trust. But the best is thriving. You are able to focus on the present and be content. You are living without all the bad coping mechanisms that kept you in the trauma cycle. You have learned how to be healthy after being destroyed. I would like to be there one day.
This synopsis is absolutely brilliant. This film was devastating, not even for the jump scares, just for the the psychological brutality. But it does require more than one watching. Thanks for this. ❤
I understood it after I saw the so called uncle morris or he adopted him whatever and the missing poster I realised immediately he’s a child that he kidnapped (morris kidnapped Phillip then when he was older he got him to be an accomplice in his kidnaps
There is definitely a possibility that Morris was merely just a kidnapper and that he was never really a step father or any other relationship what so ever to Phillip.
With the story, I think he never got to the point where he had fully gone through with the SA of a child, but exposed himself or was inappropriate to get fired and possibly placed as a registered offender, the cops looking for him might be them checking all the registered offenders in the area for Michael. The possum being his perverted childhood innocence becoming an uncontrollable desire to deal with that trauma, which he must accept and face as a part of himself in order to gain that control instead of being a slave to it. It is very obvious he hates himself, that side of him and wants it gone, but it lingers. A great comparison for urges and addiction and how they take hold, along with the battle that recovery takes. Harsh subject matter, great film.
Hey man something that you missed is the visual motif of the puppet itself. The "8 legs" are really the 4 fingers of each hand, and the face is, well a human face. Those long, hairy legs are really long hairy fingers, and it also explains the embrace near the end of the movie.
Wow. This was an incredible breakdown of this movie. I've never heard of Possom and honestly, probably would not have been drawn to watch it, but I am so glad I watched this full video. Sean Harris is amazing and the storyline is incredibly intense. I feel blown away. Your breakdown was thorough, concise and very well presented; literally one of the best movie breakdowns/content I have ever seen. Thank you for your time, effort and detail.
As a 32yr old with arachnophobia and childhood trauma i went into this movie knowing nothing about it and it hit me like a train a few years ago. Thankfully I watched it with my boyfriend. When morris was f Slapping him and putting his fingers in his mouth I completely flipped out buried my face in his chest, cried, and could hardly finish the movie. Amazing film. 10/10 would recommend.
The first minute of this review got a subscription. I also thought it was a daring and complex movie that is sure as Hell disturbing, but also offers a rare glimpse at the redemption and freedom from the cycle of abuse suffered by the protagonist. It was still helpful to affirm what I thought was happening.
I had no idea people didn't get that this movie was about a man going home to face his past and confront his trauma because of who he became himself or who he was on the verge of becoming. That being said, I watched this back when it first came out and it was good to revisit and see all the tiny details I either forgot about or missed. Great video on a great (Though disturbing and far from enjoyable) movie.
sean harris is wildly talented. i feel compelled to watch whatever he's in and pay close attention to everything he's doing also the "burning barrel" brought back memories of living in PA where we had to burn all our paper trash every other saturday in a 55 gal barrel with holes poked in it which was supplied by the township. do they have that where you are?
I've been doing the same thing, if I see Sean Harris is in it I'm watching. Guess the only other people I do that with is Nick Cage and Jesse Plemons. We've got Burning barrels here in the south. Not because we have to or anything, just normally cheaper to burn it (what can be burnt that is) than paying someone to pick it up. Luckily though I live close enough that the city picks up trash once a week "for free". (It's paid for as a part of our water bill) So anyway, yeah I've done exactly what they were doing many times in the past.
@@NIMM_VOID I'll have to pick a Cage film to cover one of these days. But as for Jesse I'm currently reading "I'm thinking of ending thing" so i can do a full breakdown of he movie.
Harry Brown starring Michael Caine, "you neglected to maintain your weapon"! Sean Harris is a great actor, but he seems to be given parts that require sleazy despicable characters, which he does so well, but would like to see him in different character types.
@@jonathansteadman7935 he does. but he does them well. i just rewatched Harry Brown, i noticed him this time. first thing i saw him in was when he played Ian Curtis in 24 hour party people
I appreciate you taking the time to put the poem in the description. That's so helpful. A lot of creators would say they did that but wouldn't actually follow up with doing what they promised. I understand that people forget but you'd think they'd hear the promise when they're editting their videos. Yes, I'm ranting about other creators not doing their jobs that they promised do.
You're good. I've had times I've forgotten to put links in the description, but always do when someone brings it up. This one I had to find and write down, so I was sure to actually put it in there. Still want to find the book for me to add to my collection though.
The algorythm hooked me up this time😅 this movie looks great. It has a similar vibe to High Tension, the french horror film. Verrrry stressy. But Sean Harris as the mean geologist in Prometheus.... every scene with him you could see sparks of barely contained rage. I was like damn who IS that guy. Incredible actor.
Like a few others who’ve commented, the algorithm recommended this video. I love Sean Harris & this movie is one of those that stays with you for a long time after watching. Your analysis was spot on and the video was clearly made with tremendous time and care. I’ve now subbed and have just watched your videos on Martyrs & 1408 (also one of MY favourite horror movies). Looking forward to whatever your next video is. 😀
You have no idea how I have searched for any forum at all that could have an intelligent conversation about this movie. When I saw you had reacted to Possum I had to get out my own notes about the movie. These are kind of long so just skip me if you like. This is a movie that likely needs half a dozen viewings to really catch most of the symbolism and all the layers in every scene. I have seen it once and was alarmed by it's effect on me and I will watch it again, when I feel ready. So I'm leaving my notes from right after watching Possum, then I'm turning on your reaction to the movie and maybe add another comment or two if needed. I'm oddly excited. My Notes from about 3 years ago If you are a Sean Harris fan, you MUST watch POSSUM. Please do not read on if you haven't seen the film as there are spoilers posted, and this is a reaction account that will be full of spoilers. Be prepared. You must pay attention to every scene, to how his character behaves, even the house he's living in. It's been at least 2 years since I've seen it so I won't be able to be as precise as I would like, but believe me when I say I have purposely not tried to view it again, not feeling mentally up to the challenge. My plan was to wait for a 3 day weekend or vacation. It is a brutal movie due to the subject matter, and that Sean Harris carries the entire movie. I think whoever decided how to market this film should be fired. Ignore the trailer and description of the movie. I'd be lying if I said I loved the movie. It is so incredibly visceral, it effected me so deeply, I couldn't stay still. We watch the man revert mentally back to the worst terror of his childhood, deeply reliving his trauma and, we are looking at Sean Harris transform himself into a child, alone in the world, and the world is full of monsters who will hurt you terribly; and his monsters threaten worse if he cares tell anyone or asks for help. The subject matter is so painful and revolting and that combined with Harris's performance is the house he had returned to. We know his parents died in that house. It seems his monster, the adult to whom he was given after his parents died, took up residence inn the home, so that his trauma plus any good memories he ever had in his home and we are left to watch as he relives his nightmare of a childhood over and over. This had a physical effect on me, leaving me drained, sick, with a pounding headache from tension. The other major character is the house. The clocks don't move, the colors tell a story, as does the decay and where it can be found. Some rooms aren't safe for him to enter yet. There's is such a contrast between Harris's character in the house as opposed to him outside. I feel like seeing him in the house we are seeing the man locked in the prison of his memories, versus the character outside representing him in reality, in the place he is trying to get to, but he's caught in a web as his memories keep dragging him back into the hell he was left to add a child. Can you recall what you're worst fears were as a child? How real they felt, not being able to breathe, to catch your breath. Harris portrays the DEEP terror of a five year old child, and I I swear you can see him become that child in those moments. It is one of the greatest gets of acting I've ever seen. I want to know how he got himself to that place. It must have been utterly exhausting. When he runs, he runs the way a small child does. Just watch him He's not just in terror of the monster under the bed. When you're little your parents tell you there's no such thing as monsters, maybe showed him there were no monsters hiding there. But this poor child has discovered this monster is real, and Not. One. Adult. Will BELIEVE OR HELP him. I don't know why Harris didn't get an Oscar, he deserved it. I have a couple of possible meanings of the ending, and my opinions about what being outside and being in his house mean. Until I watch it s couple more times I'll hold off sharing my opinion. I've never been so wind up at the end of a movie before. I feel like I will literally explode if I don't go and run around the block 3 or 50 times just to discharge the tension building inside my brain. Time to walk the dog and catch my breath.
Okay, I've watched the reaction video and loved it. I'll get the words from the possum book before I watch it again. I did have 2 theories on the ending, and one of those theories is the same as yours. The other, I haven't Heard anyone else suggest it, so it will wait till I watch again. You didn't explain the TV. The idea that black balloons drifting looks like black smoke was haunting and very interesting. Why do the clocks in the house all seem to be broken and reflect the same time? I was repulsed by Alun Armstrong. He plays a great, nasty villain. I love Sean Harris in everything.
Dude you killed it, this is how I interpreted it too. Bloody difficult film to watch on all accounts and it encapsulates the grubby emotions connected to abuse. The mining town and the deserted spots add to it. Nothing is clean. I also think that the tree with the legs… the way it is splayed and the way it’s presented has a sexual connotation to it too! Thank you, it’s nice to finally have a review I agree with.
Usually I'd comment on the video quality, but you know what? It just plain works. Something about the ethereal framerate of it makes it perfect for this review. Top notch all around, good sir!
Thank you 😅 Glad it worked out, I have finally upgraded my camera to something much better than the $10 webcam I had before. (Which is almost anything else 😂)
Thank you for introducing me to this movie, and it truly is a masterpiece, not just of horror, but of the use of cinema for telling a very complex story. I would like to take the analysis of the movie in another direction. Yes, the events of the movie take place entirely in Philip's head, but I believe it all takes place while Philip is in a psychiatric hospital, and Morris is actually his psychiatrist, with many of the scenes showing the psychiatrist talking to Philp in the ward, then later in the psychiatrist's office. From watching the movie I do not believe that Philip killed the young boy, but that Morris did, and then made Philip dispose of the body. The creature in the bag is the boy, and the trauma comes from when Philip opens the bag and sees the face of the boy staring back at him. It is at that point that Philip realizes the horror of the situation that he is in, and just how evil Morris is, but he is trapped because he is emotionally weak and timid to begin with, plus Morris has exploited that through his violence and manipulation. So the movie opens with Philip in a white, clean room with a white clean bed, which is his bed in the psychiatric hospital, and he begins a journey. Notice that only he and the four boys are on the train, and the boy he is looking at is writing and drawing in a book. I will argue that the boy is actually himself, not a new victim, and that boy he lets out of the suitcase at the end is actually himself as well, but liberated from the guilt Philip has been carrying. Philip is very reluctant to undertake this journey into his mind because it is so painful, and he resents the psychiatrist for putting him through this pain, and this projects Morris onto him because it reminds him of the pain Morris put him through. At the same time he knows that he needs the help of the psychiatrist to uncover the truth and confront what happened to him. I believe that even as a child Philip was disturbed, and the people in his community avoided him, or treated him badly, as his classmates did during the Fox incident. That was the clue I had that Morris was his psychiatrist when he had Philip repeat the incident in detail out loud. Is the Possum creature in the bag actually a reflection of something inside of Philip himself? No, I believe that it represented Phillip's fear of being killed by Morris, and ending up like the other boy. Does Philip actually kill Morris in the end? No, I believe that Philip actually comes to be able to over come his fear of Morris and accept that he was a victim. The key part is the end of the movie where the camera movies in on Philip. He is still in the hospital, and may actually end up remaining there because the truth has not set him free. What took place is in the past, and the only resolution to the events that took place are what happened in his head. That's the true horror of the movie. The realization that there will never be satisfactory justice for Morris' crimes.
No problem, glad to hear someone else loves this movie. I think one of the best parts is that it can be taken at some many levels. The surface level of just a guy with a puppet and crazy uncle all the way to a deep interpretation of what is all just going on in his head. And both work very well when watching the movie since it was made in such a neat "experimental" way. Glad to hear your analysis of the movie, makes me feel not so crazy. Since sometimes when you look and think on something too long your ideas can make sense in your head but out loud... 😅.
I dig this analysis. It reminds me of Rule of Rose, where all the events of the game seem as though an adult Jennifer is being bullied by the children in the orphanage, and things get very surreal and bonkers towards the end, as Jennifer comes to terms with what happened to her in her youth when she was helpless and didn't take action until it was too late. Similarly, the end implies that Jennifer has only just begun a new part of the healing process after going through all of that, because she now realises the truth.
holy shit dude your ability to understand and explain movies on a deeper level is incredible. i watched this years ago when i was younger and probably not mature enough to understand it. i didnt put all the pieces together and didnt care for it. i thought it was slow and weird. but after seeing your video i want to see it again.
Okay, this one might be a bit of a controversial opinon but... In my interpretation, Phillip is not an abuser himself. It is obvious that he is terrified of Morris, but he also seems terrified of becoming like Morris. Maybe the people reacting to him being close to the school and the playground are real, but their judgement is misdirected Because people talk and they probably spread stories about Morris and Philip and how Philip might be just like Morris, how hurt people hurt people and how those who were abused become abusers themselves. But to me, Philip's true fears and horror in the story stem from Morris and also the distress at the thought that he could be capable of harming someone, of being this creepy person the puppet represents, of being just like Morris. Of course, it could actually have happened that Philip kidnapped Michael because he was abused had taken on this behavior, but... I don't believe that. Michael is drawing in a book when Philip sees him for the first time, exactly like Philip. Michael is trapped in the cellar, just like Philip was, at least as we can interpret with what Morris says. Maybe Michael looks at Philip in fear and runs because Phillip was his kidnapper. But maybe Michael looks like that because Phillip finally tries to set his young self free, tries to face what happened to him and want to move on. I feel like this isn't Philip facing his past with an abusive family member and deciding to break the cycle, setting a boy he kidnapped free. I see Philip in that boy. I feel like he had reached out to Mr. Grant, not to report Morris for kidnapping someone else (like Michael), but rather to report Morris for the abuse he himself whitnessed. Mr. Grant would have been the person to support Philip going to the authorities and testifying against his uncle. I see this ending as a more happy one than other interpretations. In my eyes, Phillip overcomes his suffering, his self hatred and the fear and at the end, he sets his younger self free. The puppet/possum/his trauma is no longer something that sticks around. That only plays dead (like a possum) and then attacks him out of nowhere. Smaller things in the movie that sell me on my theory: We meet Michael's uncle. Which doesn't feel like much, but considering the role that Phillip's uncle plays in the story, it is significant. Possum looks scary and creepy, yes. But also, if Phillip identifies with possum (or a possum), his only way of survival was to play dead. To just lie there and take the abuse, hoping for it to pass. In the end, possum is dismantled, probably finally dead. But Phillip still sits with the head of the doll, which looks exactly like him. He has removed Morris' fingers (the spider legs), but his head/mind is now free of it. So, my view of it is possibly even more positive than yours? But I also have been told I see too much good in stuff and that it tends to be "boring", so who knows lol.
What's creepy about the forest scene with the bag and the spider tree (noticed it while watching this vid), is that the branches of the tree look like spreadeagled human legs. And Philip kneels down between them....
Birthplace of the monster that is Possum. Had some others point it out too and I'd guess that's to represent where it all started or where Phillips journey down Maurices path started anyway. But yeah I'm sure there are a ton of other things that I missed like that. That's why it's nice to hear what others picked up on too.
just discovered your channel because of the video about 1408 and now i'm a new subscriber and fan! i love horror movie recaps because i'm too scared to watch them in their entirety hahaha love your vision of the movies, keep posting, please!
The scene that scared me the most was actually the scene where Morris emerges from the shadowy corner with the mask on. I actually screamed out loud and shut my eyes and panic paused the video because it caught me so off guard. I was fully expecting some sort of spider jump scare but not that.
Im so glad you reached out to Mista GG about the 1408 video, because when he mentioned that in his video it made me look you up. I think this movie is so great and unsettling but cant get anyone i know IRL to watch it lol. This video is awesome, I'm subscribed now.
I'm just glad i was able to get a hold of him to talk about it. Extra bonus for him to mention me in the video. I loved this movie and this is my favorite video I've ever made, and it's awesome you picked to watch this one after coming over from GGs video. (and yeah I also haven't been able to get anyone i know to watch it. 😅😂 maybe one of these days.)
Initially thought the bag and puppet represented the kid, rather the guilt of having X’d the boy. But this is a very interesting take, especially seeing that the boy was still alive at the end.
It was nice going back after all these years later to revisit. Intentional or not, I found the leads being named Phillip and Maurice (Phillip-Morris) interesting. The constant smoking, the black smoke, black rain along with Phillip's decline in health appear as if he has a cancer that is spreading, threatening his physical and mental health similar to how Phillip wrestling with the guilt and anxiety is growing and threatening his health. It conveniently ties in well to both your synopsis and the Morris did it all synopsis.
This movie both broke me and became an instant favourite of mine. When I realised at the very end what was going on, I cried. It reminded me a bit of Beau is Afraid and The Babadook. Thank you for your video and in depth analysis.
I…loved this movie in ways I can neither understand nor explain. It’s almost impossible to recommend to anyone who isn’t already familiar with it, and I had watched it completely blind based entirely on the preview poster from whichever service I found it. I watched the entire thing wide-eyed and transfixed. It also launched a fascination with Sean Harris who seems a deeply interesting person.
glad i found your channel, your videos are well written, well edited, and you have a good, broad sense of humor that i think would appeal to most people. i hope the algorithm puts your work in front of more eyes, because i think your channel is gonna do really well. good work man, i look forward to seeing more of your stuff
Thank you, according to my analytics TH-cam is starting to finally put my stuff out there, only took 3 years for me to figure out what I'm doing 😅 (kinda...)
@@PolterGibbstI just found your channel yesterday because TH-cam put your video about The Mist on my recommended page. (Which was excellent, by the way.) I subscribed and have already watched several of your videos!!
@@LisaBowers Nice. First had the 1408 video take off, out of nowhere after like 5 months. And it brought in quite few and now The Mist video is doing it too... maybe I'm figuring how all this works finally. 😂
The whole “black baloons”, and the “green candies” that Maurice would give to Philip, which made him throw up, gave me the whole “I developed an opiate addiction to cope with the abuse” story arc thrown in. It comes back after he abducted the young boy, plus the spider puppet is symbolic of the withdrawal. Maybe he couldn’t get ahold of Maurice’s green candies to give to the boy, so he bought a black balloon instead? Idk, but it’s so in your face that it has to mean something!
I know it is has a deeper meaning but even now I'm not sure. The firs time we see balloons I think they are yellow and orange and then by the end we only see black. Which could go back to the black as sin line, but from what I could find so much has just been left to the viewers to figure it all out. Which could be the point that we all deal with and interpret trauma differently.
@@PolterGibbstsince Maurice corrupted Phillip’s childhood, maybe the balloons were symbolic of his childhood innocence being taken away (the black smoke)? I do love how this movie has so many different interpretations though-we can’t be 100% sure on everything
@@kristynweb7751 could be. Of course made me think like birthday balloon and happy memories, but they have been turned black due to tragedy and trauma. Which would be like even having the happy memories being covered up and also seen in a bad light. Yes I agree about the movie. Seems like most movies I enjoy most have the same ambiguity to them.
when I seen the green candy I was sort of thinking date rape drug or course it could have just been some drug like opiates that he was made to become dependant on in order to keep him under control.
I paused before you explained what you gathered from this movie and I came to the same conclusion... I don't know how people could interpret this in any other way. I was actually hoping that you'd explained what happened in phillip's past in higher detail. There was a somewhat similar plot in the series "Inside number 9", the episode was very cryptid but they relieved all that had happened at the very end. I don't know if I like this cryptid ending more, I mean I get it, but as we can see, not everyone gets it in the first watch.
This was a really great analysis, thank you for this- helped me understand better a movie I already enjoyed for how unsettling it was, but now I fully *get it*. Definitely think you’re right that Morris isn’t around and it makes perfect sense that he’s part of Phillip’s subconscious. I never had that click in the first watch!
I got this just from viewing it the first time but I think it takes someone watching all types of films, documentaries, reading lots phycological books etc. in order to grasp the first time around what the movie is telling it's audience. Very good analysis btw, & like you had said most ppl wouldn't take the time to try to understand it like you have let alone explain it as well as you did.
Hey, what's up? I watched the shutter island vid and saw this one so I went and watched Possum just now so I could watch this. I'm saying thanks in advance for turning me on to this movie before I watch your video. Thank you!
the first ten minutes of this movie was the most implacable dread ive ever felt watching a film. i actually had to pause the movie, the atmosphere was so potent.
"On candy stripe legs the spiderman comes Softly through the shadow of the evening sun Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead Looking for the victim shivering in bed Searching out fear in the gathering gloom and Suddenly a movement in the corner of the room And there is nothing I can do When I realize with fright That the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight"
I knew this was about abuse, I just didn't realize that from his personal child abuse he was so haunted he almost became the evil that took his childhood innocence. This is so hauntingly disturbing.
Me and some friends went to see this at a local theatre, and the director and writer Matt Holness was actually there and doing Q&A. Unfortunately one of my friends fell asleep during one of the quieter parts of the film. In a theatre with about 30 people. And started loudly snoring. With Holness sat about 10 meters away. My other friend was trying so hard to supress his laughter he couldn't nudge the sleeping friend awake. I felt so bad for Holness, but also it was an incredibly funny situation.
I heard about this movie from tiktok and everyone over there called Maurice his stepdad. Which didn't make much sense when watching it then of course you find out it actually is his uncle... which makes me wonder if they just say stepdad because they only saw it once or for spoilers sake.
Dude, I just discovered your channel!! I don't usually like horror movies too much, but this is more psychological horror, and your manner of narration and interpretation is exquisite !!! Somehow you even have a soothing manner... So thank you!!! New subscriber!!!
My first notice was that your video was choppy and blurry and your outfit kept changing. But as I watched, I noticed that your audio quality is crisp, your notes are extensive, your excitement is easily heard and conveyed, and your breakdown is thorough. So keep doing what you're doing cause you're doing great!
Will do. It's funny because my terrible webcam I had seemed to add to the atmosphere of a few movies I covered. But now I finally have a nice camera, just took time to get here.
It's nuts that this was made by the guy who writes and plays Garth Marenghi (Matthew Holness). Shame he says he's unlikely to make another film due to how difficult it was to get this film made.
I've been a massive fan of Garth Marenghis Darkplace since I saw it when it first aired. Loved how funny it was but also thought that the horror elements were also really creepy. Only found out about this movie late last year and finally managed to get a copy and watch recently. It is so good and one I've already been thinking of rewatching. Great video.
Not trying to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but I did get 90 percent of this movie on my first watch. I'm used to watching weird stuff, and this movie is absolutely incredible. My eyes were glued to the screen the whole time and I was blown away by how much it did with so little. And that one jumpscare by the uncle legitimately scared the shot out of me
Thanks for your take on this! I watched the movie recently and several times as well, since I love minimalistic dramas. I agree with everything you said, but I believe, that his failed puppeteer attempt in front of a children's audience was due to the fact that he presumably tried to process his trauma there and his puppets re-enacted a kind of abuse situation. The Possum doll will not have played any part, because as you have correctly pointed out, it only exists in his head. However, it makes sense that he was called a pervert by the two teenagers who remembered this situation, because it caused turmoil in this small town at the time and it has not been forgotten till this day.
As a survivor of abuse, I knew that he was carrying around his trauma. The movie did not give a clue as to Maurice's demise. The head of the spider may have been Maurice.
Just discovered your channel and can't wait to see what comes next. I truly appreciate your thoughtful analysis of a movie that i feel hasn't been discussed nearly enough within the horror community. So nice to see it get the attention here that it deserves. I'm so looking forward to future content.
@@viciously.v haven't heard of pulse, but the wailing keeps popping up on all of my suggested to watch. Guess I'll have to give it a chance now instead of looking for movies to watch for a half hour then just watching TH-cam instead... 😅 Seriously thanks for the suggestion, I'll probably watch it tomorrow.
@PolterGibbst Hey, if ever you need suggestions for horror content, I'm your gal. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by The Wailing. But if ever you find yourself in the mood for something truly bleak, i hope you'll seek out Pulse. It was definitely a sentiment of the times (early 2000's) but, at least in my opinion, it's one that will stick with you.
GREAT explanation!!! I got most of it the first time, and yes, the more you watch it, the more you understand how EVERY MOMENT is about abuse...the worst kind.
Sean harris was made to be in horror movies, dont mean to be cruel but he has got an extremely creepy look about him. His voice aswell theres something about it that creeps me out
Thank you for talking about this obscure movie in depth and detail, I haven't fully seen the film and I'm actually planning to do a film review about Possum for my New media/film study class! I can't wait to disturb my friends and teacher with this masterpiece of film!
This freaked me out even more because I share the same name as the protagonist (Phillip), and I normally love puppets and Muppets etc. Also, one moment near the end made me scream, out-loud, and I almost climbed over the sofa 😂
Apologies for the essay, i started typing and everything kind of just clicked into place the more i typed it out. This is my first time observervation btw. I will definitely rewatch. But this was my first take Before i get too far in the video, the way i interpreted this was trauma on top of trauma. Not one specific event, but multiple things over his life. The puppet being a representation of his own inner struggles with himself (guilt, shame, self-loathing). Maurice is almost like a ghost, taunting him with past memories, (maybe thats how he actually was when alive). Sometimes hes a wicked, awful man, sometimes hes actually compassionate (at the burn barrel). The locations seems to be places where the trauma happened or places that bring back certain memories. I think Philip is not actually there, he's revisiting these places in his mind. The candy could be actual candy that triggers these memories from a taste, thats why they look old, because they are from when he was younger. Its a reminder. I think part of him doesnt want to forget because he's shown to be a loner, creeps people out, etc. We also know his parents died in the fire, Maurice survived, and was abusive. This leads me to think that hes so alone that reliving his trauma is the only way he feels like there is someone there. Sometimes good, mostly bad. My interpretation of all these things leads me to believe he's in a loop of trying to heal his trauma, but part of him either cant or wont let it go. The candy grosses Philip out, but he eats it. Everytime he gets rid of the puppet he's trying to move on, but it always comes back, closer and closer. A poor soul put through hell and now is trying to cope with all that baggage (a literal bag he carries the puppet around in.) Sometimes that inner stuff seeps out and thats why the puppet overtime is seen partially out of the bag. Hearing his name, from my own traumatic experiences, is very straight forward. Even when im alone, i feel like i hear my name being called, or certain sounds make me feel on edge (loud voices in another room, for example. Even if i know its laughing, the sounds triggers something deep in me.) Philip always looks around like hes terrified whe. He hears his name. Like someones coming for him, which i felt tied in with Maurice's comment about how "the law" was after him. Paranoia, or extreme anxiety, maybe. The possum story talks about "smothering, black as sin," as well as the balloons starting orange, getting covered in smoke, and then the the ballons are black after. The puppet also is enveloped in the same smoke. All in all, the way i read this film was Philip, a man plagued by his traumatic life, is trying to heal from those experiences but either cant or wont give it up because its all he has or has known. He knows its not good for him, but he still has the nightmares, it always comes back, even when hes thought that hes buried it. And sadly, i think the people around him (the kids on the train, the guys on the stairs, the couple at the park, the staff at the school) i think they are just so creeped out and off put by the way he is that they assume he's a pervert, a killer, etc.
Man I never usually comment or subscribe to many channels but I really enjoyed this and I've started watching through your other vids. I like your approach to re-telling the plot, your thoughts on the subject and your humour as well
This movie was so grimy, in a good way, with incredible detail and lighting, mood, tone, cinematography. All the way through I just wished it was a Hellraiser movie. Sadly I found Possum a bit too boring. But the world it was set in would have been great for Hellraiser!
One thing that i noticed was that scene where the bag is lying in the middle of these snaking tree trunks looks just like "the puppet" with the tree trunks as these long limbs, with bag in the center like a body, and if it was unzipped and there was a deceased person inside, the mosters head would probably look very similar. I think there definitely was a murder of a boy in which he had to dispose of his body in a bag and did so in this tree in the swamp area. Thats why it haunts it so much and takes that form. I dont know if that boy is michael or one of the boys his uncle harmed. But its too similar looking.
gosh this is a late comment but i watched the movie yesterday and loved it from the songs, sound design, body language, to the voice acting it gives so much uncanny vibes that it keeps drawing me in, i felt like in the end it felt bitter to me as if phillp still has unresolved business and hes still not happy with himself im just glad he didn't commit an SA crime like his uncle did ( i felt the vibes he and the uncle were fighting). its one of those moive as after the frist watch you need it to marinate in your head to get it before seeing it again
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
I love the line "my father taught me, it runs in our family." Hinting that Morris was abused by his father, and ties in with the theme of the cycle of abuse.
Possum is a masterclass in minimalism. Made for virtually nothing, in wasteland locations, carried by the acting chops of Sean Harris. He deserved awards for this. The physical embodiment of trauma. This movie still squats in the dark of my subconscious.
I think part of what made the puppet so awful was that it didn't have the face of a scary monster, but the face of person who had been traumatized... Phillip's face.
A very haunting and ghoulish film for sure.
There is ONE single moment Sean Harris smiled in this movie, and it's the moment that the Possum puppet first embraces him, before forcing the smile back into a frown of hatred as he stares at the puppet.
You got me on that one. 😅 Good to know someone else watched the movie super close
That's a great catch!
Not a smile but more a grimace from holding in tears. Don't look like a smile to me.
If that was not the shortest smile ever before the look of shear torture. You got me too.
Just as an added thing some Americans may miss about this movie - Philip calls the young teacher guy outside the school "sir" and the young teacher when he visits looking for his old teacher "miss" - we don't use those words in the same way as the US, and in the context of Philip - a 30/40 something man - calling two schoolteachers Sir and Miss is wildly infantile, super jarring, like using "mummy" and "daddy" as a 30 year old lol. its basically showing just how traumatised the guy was from his school experiences, he never left school in his mind.
I absolutely would have overlooked that. Thanks!
The uncle was the inspiration for the spider legs. His hands.
Has the fingers of Uncle Morris but the face of Phillip showing Phillip has been doing the same thing his uncle was. The unfortunate cycle of abuse.
Interesting- good observation!
His fingers to be exact. Super gross and creepy.
Way to vague then
Good catch
9:00 “Be honest, you would walk away too”. That was really funny. It’s your stance that really sells it.😂
I thought the puppet was a representation of trauma from abuse philp suffered from Morris. The idea of black balloons and the horrible candy jar etc. Its how Morris inverted or corrupted things a child will enjoy in order to take advantage of phillip. The cinematography is fantastic as the wintery cold wet run-down decaying landscapes just imposes an uneasy, uncomfortable feeling that sits with you throughout the entire movie.
there are definite allusions that Phillip is an abuser too throughout the film. I guess they left it ambiguous on purpose.
Maybe people have noticed before but at 12:47 you can compare the puppet head and Philip's face and we can assume that they are very similar and its probably a 3D scan/print of Sean Harris face.
Not a lot is more uncomfortable than a cold, wet and decaying environment.
I wrote an essay at uni about this film as it's one of my personal favourites- Luckily, i was able to get in contact with Matthew Holness who confirmed that the use of the black balloons was intended to be a visualiser to represent the smoke from the house fire that Morris had set to kill his parents I believe. I also enquired about the candy/candy jar and he said it was quite ambiguous but one theory he had for himself during writing is that a lot of abusers use a 'reward system' for their victims so this is what it was intended to symbolise.
Minor thing but his name is maurice not morris. It's just said with an accent.
This film is so well acted, directed and conceptualised, anyone can tell immediately that it's about cycles of abuse, guilt and shame. It's the literal plot and sequence of events that needs to be figured out, it's a unique twist on how movies are usually presented.
To me it was Phillip was kidnapped and abused by Maurice. The puppet represented trauma and the candy represented the obedience to Maurice and being groomed by him. Perhaps Phillip was just repeating the same abuse done by Maurice? And the fox is the death of childhood innocence after assault/abuse.
Spot on
As a survivor of CSA, this movie is the best representation of the experience of living with the shame and the rage and the revulsion that permeates every aspect of your life. It's brilliant. And I will NEVER watch it again.
💔
Sorry you gone through that I hope you have a happy and peaceful life ❤❤❤❤
No person, especially a child, deserves to go through that. I'm so sorry
same
I was abused by a similar bastard, i hate people who think all abused kids turn into nonces were the opposite, you and I, we only wish for retribution, blessings warrior brother
Maurice has his own puppet, and his own bag, hanging just inside the door...
Ooooh
Plus we also see his puppet a few times.
The bag at the door is a classic British school bag, it is the bag of the boy he has abducted and put in the box.
@@Everythingallthetime666 huh, it's definitely meaningful
The cycle of abuse
I liked Possum...I can't say I enjoyed Possum. This movie isn't so much a scary movie, it's a deeply upsetting one.
You're the first person that got that Maurice is long gone, dead or in prison, but his effects have never left.
Though I always thought the entire environment was a psy-scape of Phillip and Michael was a symbol of Phillips inner self.
I know the feeling. I love this movie but not sure I'd say I enjoy it. (I do not remember if I say that in the video or not 😅) But it is a movie I wish everyone would watch atleast once.
I actually just talked about Michael in the last comment. And I went back and forth on if he is real or if he is just another representation of Philip himself.
Still not sure and I think that is okay, the genius of this movie is in everyone taking it in differently and dealing with the trauma that is here in their own way.
@@PolterGibbst Too true. I ran on this film thinking it was just going to be a fairly standard horror movie about a killer puppet...I was wrong about that.
Also the fact that the director Matthew Holness was most known for comedy, made me think it was going to be a comedy horror...Yikes!
Yeah, I think you're right. Michael was just a symbol, he saw him on the train, but after that, the kidnapping is just in his imagination. He overcomes the tendency to repeat the cycle of abuse and violence..
@@PolterGibbst Thank you for the 'spoiler alert' early on. I paused, and went to find the film - streamed it, and came back to watch your vid. Thanks again. I'd compare the experience to my first watch of "Eraserhead" and Fritz Lang's "M".
BUT - I did not 'get' that Maurice was never actually there! Ho-lee Sheeee-it! Now I WILL have to watch again (like I had to immediately re-watch "Sixth Sense").
12:44 i can confirm that spiders with human heads are an actual threat in my country
this film is very accurate
😂 luckily not in my country either... that I know of anyway
Australia lol
True. They prefer hanging out in sheds
Must be Australian
@shaftomite007 What gave it away mate?
Sean Harris is a phenomenal actor, he does sleazy despicable people so well. Witness him in Harry Brown opposite Michael Caine "you neglected to maintain your weapon"! Classic.
I think that's the first thing I saw him in, and it's burned into my head. I don't mean to insult the man, but he has the perfect face for character. He really pulled off the gaunt intravenous-opiate-enjoyer look lol
Superb performance! He was also terrifying in Creep.
All of his performances in medieval themed movies are also fantastic. He was the only good thing about The Green Knight, playing as King Arthur
He plays a sociopath in outlaw with Sean Bean and Danny dyer, which imo is a massively underrated movie
@@zekeedwards7904 for some reason nobody seems to have watched that film but you're definitely right, it's highly underrated.
The opening scene has one of the most realistic and terrifying portrayals of being attacked I've ever seen. Mr Harris is as great and as eccentric as ever in the role he plays.
love these kinds of channels, old school youtube feel with new school quality. not over edited or over written, just a cool dude sharing his opinion of things he likes. instantly subbed.
Thank you. That's really all it was is I just needed a way to share the movies I like with others. And luckily it seems to be working better than I could have imagined at the start
Same, just came up today. Jumped on it before I accidentally close out and lose the name.
@@PolterGibbstthis is becoming one of my favorite channels
@@manplusshield7079 nice, as soon as I get my PC upgraded I'm hoping I'll be able to actually put out videos consistently. No more crashing in the middle of an edit would be great.
Glad you're here.
hey, algorithm seems to be on fire for me as of lately, such a good video on one of my favourite movies! possum is unbelievably tense and uncomfortable, with so much meaning and layers, delving into the cycles of abuse and the deep harm done on a person trying to bury the trauma, almost nothing comes close to it. and you absolutely did it justice by this vid! much love from ukraine!
LETS GO! Super glad you enjoyed it, video took me forever but I knew with a movie like Possum it needed to be just right. That way both people who love and those who hate this movie can still see why it should be treated as a Masterpiece.
wrote a song inspired by this amazing movie called suddenly, here the link if you want to listen th-cam.com/video/GD0-j6vJHLk/w-d-xo.html
@@PolterGibbst loved the movie, thought i was the only one to watch and love it! even wrote a song inspired by it if you want to listen go to th-cam.com/video/GD0-j6vJHLk/w-d-xo.html
Your deep! 🫣 Ps love from London
Much love from GB.
It really blew my mind that in the end it was a "feel good" movie about a guy overcoming his abuse trauma and saving the next victim.
Baby gums
Except it isn't? The guy is clearly the kidnapper, not a savior.
@@Gabu_ That's not the point. Philipp is not a good perso, but he stopped himself from violating that boy and instead let him go free, breaking the cycle
OR maurcie was long dead, and the boy who he helped escape was in fact a younger version of himself. if you notice the boy is drawing in the beginning in philips note book on the train.
Phillip IS the one that kidnapped the kid tho…?
That wasn't so hard to understand. Do people these days just not grasp symbolism at all?
I know what you mean. I felt that I understood it fairly quickly.
Apparently not, I'm completely shocked at the comments. All of his "is it beginning to make sense yet?" "Shocked to see the mirror" "how is the puppet here?" etc. etc. This video made me angry. Then I read the comments like "what if maurice wasn't there" and realized that people really were confused. From when he looks at the boy on the train it's exceedingly obvious. I don't even know what other interpretation anyone could possibly have. Every line, every action in the movie only points to a singular theme.
Then why would watching it twice help if you misinterpreted it the first time? There's not going to be new information, I really do not understand this video. I was actively hoping for there to be more to it just to prove me wrong, like if watching it twice actually would change things because there was a twist at the end, but no, it's just as obvious as it should be.
There's another video on his channel where he talks about another movie with multiple endings being made to hide the twist, but the twist is the only outcome you could expect and the endings are after the twist so it doesn't even make sense either.
I did realize it was a movie about trauma before you explained it, but man, the ways some artists depict that is incredible, like here its never literally explained but you can understand it clearly after doing a deeper analysis
As a Norfolk man I found this film 🎥 deeply, deeply disturbing 😳
Oh man, I can't even imagine 😅
To have a connection like that to a movie like this, I completely get why you woul feel that way. But can't picture a movie like this happening in my own town... but maybe one of these days I'll have to make my own 😂
"is it starting to make sense yet?" no, hell no it isn't, it just keeps stacking weird atop strange and wobbling about.
On its spidery legs..
Same it actually made sense until the end but still I’m confused about some parts
Ikr.
I haven't read all the comments so forgive me if I'm repeating somebody.
I've just watched the movie again with your perspective in mind and it barely matched what I was seeing. I.e. I'm not convinced Maurice isn't real.
Consider how Philip would have got the boy back to the house? In the first interaction the boy is fearful and flees. Philip has zero charisma and no means to kidnap anyone.
It's reasonably obvious which scenes are part of Philips insanity and which are real and Maurice (as a person) doesn't feature in any of the surreal ones.
Next consider the ending. When Maurice appears he's wearing a balaclava. This is because he's hiding his identity from the kid. You have the visceral reveal of Maurice's true character, and the catharsis of Philip's fight back. If you put that all in Philip's head you lose so much. Note that he doesn't fight back until he realises there's someone in the trunk. Your theory suggests he already knows the kid is in there.
I think there's a tendancy to think x character is a figment of someone's imagination but the ending reinforces that he is real and that Philip is not the culprit.
>"Hey, that's the Darkplace guy, I'll check his movie out, that'll be fun."
>...
>"...Oh my."
😂 yeah. 😅
"The moonlight shone down on the place unhindered. The gnarled parapets jagged upwards, like a bony hand of icy indifference. In the background, there was a pigeon" -Garth Marenghi
I don’t think this guy knows who the director is, or his place in “comedy”. Not mentioned at all.
Its clear that Maurice had abused Phillip, and so he has him continue to abuse him as a revenant, and the possum is clearly dealing with his dark desires for children, carried on from Maurice. He did end the cycle, but I don't imagine anyone in his world sympathising with him.
I think the possum is his shame spiral. With the fox [11:23], and whenever Maurice $CENSORED$... he froze. He hates himself for it. Can't forget, can't bury it, can't throw it away. The monster-Possum of the poem is his defense mechanism, a mask/fantasy he invented to protect his ego, and an outlet for his impotent rage.
In the end, he's able to accept the trauma. He was a victim. The puppet's not driving him anymore.
I saw this I think only one time like he said and did not remotely realize it was about abuse, its so much darker now. "Now its dark."@@blipblap614
@blipblap614 you can be both a victim and a perpetrator. Which, I strongly feel, is the case here.
@@blipblap614 i am real happy that people have come to similar thoughts as i do. Shows that the movie really did well with it's symbolism
"You show THAT to children?" ...I don't think he glimpsed down at the puppet. Looked more like he looked down at ummm his other puppet
It's weird that even the brain phantom of his pedo uncle would find other sorts of pederast 'icky'
What if Maurice was never there in the house with him. He was making him up as an excuse to be what Maurice was and caused him to be. Him killing Maurice at the end and letting the kid out was actually just letting the kid that he captured out, "killing" Maurice and the chain of abuse that he caused.
That's how I read it
I absolutely love this movie, it speaks to me in a terrible way and Sean's performance embodies a very traumatized man.
I wish the director would give more of a certain ending, but he has said that we don't know if Phillip is good or bad. And that the ending doesn't answer questions on purpose, I I suppose it's up to the viewer. I do think that many people don't think hard enough about it though lol.
Personally I don't think the kid was even kidnapped or real. It felt like another hallucination to me. He saw himself in the kid, and the director mentions that the original short story he wrote was based on puppets, and doubles. I feel the kid just reminded him of his trauma a lot, and this further broke his already broken psyche. The ending is really him trying to take back his life from Maurice.
I also think he looks at the spots where he "dumped" the bag because his uncle dumped the evidence of his own murders in those spots. Like how he gets chased by the Puppet in the barracks, and then Maurice says "you knew it was me in those barracks didn't you?"
There's so damn much to this movie and I love hearing others interpretation. I wish it was more popular.
Me too. Originally when I was recording this movie I was kind of upset with a lot of people who also talked about it. Like right from the beginning I was going to explain how they didn't know what they were missing out on.
My main problem was they watched it one time and told others it was too disturbing to watch. Making most people never want to watch it in the first place. Especially after they attempted to explain it and did a very poor job.
But yes this movie is great and I'm finding I love movies that can be explained and talked about in different ways like this one. Makes it that much more personal which is amazing. Hopefully the more my channels grows the more new people will be introduced to this video and ultimately the film itself.
Sean Harris is criminally underrated and I wish he got more leading roles. That being said, I'm so happy he got the main role for this one. He killed it. I felt so bad for Phillip but I was so creeped out. It's an odd feeling to have towards the protagonist while not outright making him the villain.
I can't believe how underrated this movie is. At some point, people will recognize this as one of the best horror films of the 2010s.
Here's the really creepy part that a lot of younger people might not know. In the U.S., there was a case where a man kidnapped a young boy and "raised" him as his own kid while doing unspeakable things to this boy but when this boy reached a certain age, that man decided to kidnap another kid to "raise" the same way and do the same things to this new young boy. The teen, who had endured 7 years of this, took the young boy and left, going to the police and telling them everything. The teen was returned to his family and you'd think that it would be a "happy ending" but Steven Stayner (his real name) died a few years later in a motorcycle accident after surviving real hell & saving the latest victim. This movie hits different when you know there's real life story, from the 1970s, that's very similar. This movie is NOT based on the true story of Steven Stayner and not even inspired by that tragic event either.
Damn. Was a lil confused at the end but the bloody realism
I love how the spider represented his trauma, he can’t go without it, he can’t live with it, and he can’t do anything about it……
Yes.
I always thought that Maurice sexually abused Phillip throughout his childhood and he was the one who assaulted Phillip in the forest. The teacher saw it and offered him help, but Phillip was too traumatised to say anything and he declined or the teacher might have backed out. The candies were like bribes, Maurice might have offered them to Phillip in exchange for "favors" and that's why he's so terrified of the candy jar, because he knows that if he accepts them, Maurice will make him do something he doesn't want to do.
Exactly
What you have described is called "grooming"
I do believe that it shows the struggle within oneself to overcome trauma. There are so many dark holes to fall down. It is so difficult to sift between the self and trauma. We absorb our experiences into our DNA. You cannot just forget it or push it away as it will always come back. You could be a perpetual victim your whole life, or you could just avoid life and isolate, or you could become the abuser. The trauma haunts one in ways that push them toward cycle of broken people. Being a survivor is a better option. A survivor understands what happened and is on a path to restoring balance in their life. They are not in trauma but they are not thriving. They have support and resources from a community they trust. But the best is thriving. You are able to focus on the present and be content. You are living without all the bad coping mechanisms that kept you in the trauma cycle. You have learned how to be healthy after being destroyed. I would like to be there one day.
This synopsis is absolutely brilliant. This film was devastating, not even for the jump scares, just for the the psychological brutality. But it does require more than one watching. Thanks for this. ❤
I understood it after I saw the so called uncle morris or he adopted him whatever and the missing poster I realised immediately he’s a child that he kidnapped (morris kidnapped Phillip then when he was older he got him to be an accomplice in his kidnaps
There is definitely a possibility that Morris was merely just a kidnapper and that he was never really a step father or any other relationship what so ever to Phillip.
With the story, I think he never got to the point where he had fully gone through with the SA of a child, but exposed himself or was inappropriate to get fired and possibly placed as a registered offender, the cops looking for him might be them checking all the registered offenders in the area for Michael.
The possum being his perverted childhood innocence becoming an uncontrollable desire to deal with that trauma, which he must accept and face as a part of himself in order to gain that control instead of being a slave to it. It is very obvious he hates himself, that side of him and wants it gone, but it lingers. A great comparison for urges and addiction and how they take hold, along with the battle that recovery takes. Harsh subject matter, great film.
Hey man something that you missed is the visual motif of the puppet itself.
The "8 legs" are really the 4 fingers of each hand, and the face is, well a human face. Those long, hairy legs are really long hairy fingers, and it also explains the embrace near the end of the movie.
Incredible depiction of inter generational trauma and the cycle of abuse, some of the best performances in cinema.
Wow. This was an incredible breakdown of this movie. I've never heard of Possom and honestly, probably would not have been drawn to watch it, but I am so glad I watched this full video. Sean Harris is amazing and the storyline is incredibly intense. I feel blown away. Your breakdown was thorough, concise and very well presented; literally one of the best movie breakdowns/content I have ever seen. Thank you for your time, effort and detail.
Playing possum is also a metaphor for hiding and pretending...excellent film😊
As a 32yr old with arachnophobia and childhood trauma i went into this movie knowing nothing about it and it hit me like a train a few years ago. Thankfully I watched it with my boyfriend. When morris was f
Slapping him and putting his fingers in his mouth I completely flipped out buried my face in his chest, cried, and could hardly finish the movie.
Amazing film. 10/10 would recommend.
NO arachnophobia, but the other part had a terrifying effect on me too.
Grim reminder of the cycles of abuse. Just remember the statistics when you let them near children.
The first minute of this review got a subscription. I also thought it was a daring and complex movie that is sure as Hell disturbing, but also offers a rare glimpse at the redemption and freedom from the cycle of abuse suffered by the protagonist. It was still helpful to affirm what I thought was happening.
I had no idea people didn't get that this movie was about a man going home to face his past and confront his trauma because of who he became himself or who he was on the verge of becoming. That being said, I watched this back when it first came out and it was good to revisit and see all the tiny details I either forgot about or missed. Great video on a great (Though disturbing and far from enjoyable) movie.
Yeah, some people aren't very bright.
sean harris is wildly talented. i feel compelled to watch whatever he's in and pay close attention to everything he's doing
also the "burning barrel" brought back memories of living in PA where we had to burn all our paper trash every other saturday in a 55 gal barrel with holes poked in it which was supplied by the township. do they have that where you are?
I've been doing the same thing, if I see Sean Harris is in it I'm watching. Guess the only other people I do that with is Nick Cage and Jesse Plemons.
We've got Burning barrels here in the south. Not because we have to or anything, just normally cheaper to burn it (what can be burnt that is) than paying someone to pick it up.
Luckily though I live close enough that the city picks up trash once a week "for free". (It's paid for as a part of our water bill)
So anyway, yeah I've done exactly what they were doing many times in the past.
@@PolterGibbst Nick and Jesse are wonderful to watch
@@NIMM_VOID I'll have to pick a Cage film to cover one of these days. But as for Jesse I'm currently reading "I'm thinking of ending thing" so i can do a full breakdown of he movie.
Harry Brown starring Michael Caine, "you neglected to maintain your weapon"! Sean Harris is a great actor, but he seems to be given parts that require sleazy despicable characters, which he does so well, but would like to see him in different character types.
@@jonathansteadman7935 he does. but he does them well. i just rewatched Harry Brown, i noticed him this time. first thing i saw him in was when he played Ian Curtis in 24 hour party people
I appreciate you taking the time to put the poem in the description. That's so helpful. A lot of creators would say they did that but wouldn't actually follow up with doing what they promised. I understand that people forget but you'd think they'd hear the promise when they're editting their videos. Yes, I'm ranting about other creators not doing their jobs that they promised do.
You're good. I've had times I've forgotten to put links in the description, but always do when someone brings it up.
This one I had to find and write down, so I was sure to actually put it in there. Still want to find the book for me to add to my collection though.
The algorythm hooked me up this time😅 this movie looks great. It has a similar vibe to High Tension, the french horror film. Verrrry stressy. But Sean Harris as the mean geologist in Prometheus.... every scene with him you could see sparks of barely contained rage. I was like damn who IS that guy. Incredible actor.
Like a few others who’ve commented, the algorithm recommended this video. I love Sean Harris & this movie is one of those that stays with you for a long time after watching.
Your analysis was spot on and the video was clearly made with tremendous time and care. I’ve now subbed and have just watched your videos on Martyrs & 1408 (also one of MY favourite horror movies).
Looking forward to whatever your next video is. 😀
You have no idea how I have searched for any forum at all that could have an intelligent conversation about this movie.
When I saw you had reacted to Possum I had to get out my own notes about the movie. These are kind of long so just skip me if you like.
This is a movie that likely needs half a dozen viewings to really catch most of the symbolism and all the layers in every scene. I have seen it once and was alarmed by it's effect on me and I will watch it again, when I feel ready.
So I'm leaving my notes from right after watching Possum, then I'm turning on your reaction to the movie and maybe add another comment or two if needed.
I'm oddly excited.
My Notes from about 3 years ago
If you are a Sean Harris fan, you MUST watch POSSUM. Please do not read on if you haven't seen the film as there are spoilers posted, and this is a reaction account that will be full of spoilers.
Be prepared. You must pay attention to every scene, to how his character behaves, even the house he's living in. It's been at least 2 years since I've seen it so I won't be able to be as precise as I would like, but believe me when I say I have purposely not tried to view it again, not feeling mentally up to the challenge. My plan was to wait for a 3 day weekend or vacation.
It is a brutal movie due to the subject matter, and that Sean Harris carries the entire movie. I think whoever decided how to market this film should be fired. Ignore the trailer and description of the movie.
I'd be lying if I said I loved the movie. It is so incredibly visceral, it effected me so deeply, I couldn't stay still.
We watch the man revert mentally back to the worst terror of his childhood, deeply reliving his trauma and, we are looking at Sean Harris transform himself into a child, alone in the world, and the world is full of monsters who will hurt you terribly; and his monsters threaten worse if he cares tell anyone or asks for help.
The subject matter is so painful and revolting and that combined with Harris's performance is the house he had returned to. We know his parents died in that house. It seems his monster, the adult to whom he was given after his parents died, took up residence inn the home, so that his trauma plus any good memories he ever had in his home and we are left to watch as he relives his nightmare of a childhood over and over. This had a physical effect on me, leaving me drained, sick, with a pounding headache from tension.
The other major character is the house.
The clocks don't move, the colors tell a story, as does the decay and where it can be found. Some rooms aren't safe for him to enter yet. There's is such a contrast between Harris's character in the house as opposed to him outside. I feel like seeing him in the house we are seeing the man locked in the prison of his memories, versus the character outside representing him in reality, in the place he is trying to get to, but he's caught in a web as his memories keep dragging him back into the hell he was left to add a child.
Can you recall what you're worst fears were as a child? How real they felt, not being able to breathe, to catch your breath. Harris portrays the DEEP terror of a five year old child, and I I swear you can see him become that child in those moments. It is one of the greatest gets of acting I've ever seen. I want to know how he got himself to that place. It must have been utterly exhausting. When he runs, he runs the way a small child does. Just watch him
He's not just in terror of the monster under the bed.
When you're little your parents tell you there's no such thing as monsters, maybe showed him there were no monsters hiding there.
But this poor child has discovered this monster is real, and Not. One. Adult. Will BELIEVE OR HELP him. I don't know why Harris didn't get an Oscar, he deserved it. I have a couple of possible meanings of the ending, and my opinions about what being outside and being in his house mean. Until I watch it s couple more times I'll hold off sharing my opinion.
I've never been so wind up at the end of a movie before. I feel like I will literally explode if I don't go and run around the block 3 or 50 times just to discharge the tension building inside my brain. Time to walk the dog and catch my breath.
Okay, I've watched the reaction video and loved it.
I'll get the words from the possum book before I watch it again. I did have 2 theories on the ending, and one of those theories is the same as yours.
The other, I haven't Heard anyone else suggest it, so it will wait till I watch again.
You didn't explain the TV.
The idea that black balloons drifting looks like black smoke was haunting and very interesting.
Why do the clocks in the house all seem to be broken and reflect the same time?
I was repulsed by Alun Armstrong. He plays a great, nasty villain.
I love Sean Harris in everything.
Dude you killed it, this is how I interpreted it too. Bloody difficult film to watch on all accounts and it encapsulates the grubby emotions connected to abuse. The mining town and the deserted spots add to it. Nothing is clean. I also think that the tree with the legs… the way it is splayed and the way it’s presented has a sexual connotation to it too! Thank you, it’s nice to finally have a review I agree with.
Usually I'd comment on the video quality, but you know what? It just plain works. Something about the ethereal framerate of it makes it perfect for this review. Top notch all around, good sir!
Thank you 😅
Glad it worked out, I have finally upgraded my camera to something much better than the $10 webcam I had before. (Which is almost anything else 😂)
Thank you for introducing me to this movie, and it truly is a masterpiece, not just of horror, but of the use of cinema for telling a very complex story.
I would like to take the analysis of the movie in another direction.
Yes, the events of the movie take place entirely in Philip's head, but I believe it all takes place while Philip is in a psychiatric hospital, and Morris is actually his psychiatrist, with many of the scenes showing the psychiatrist talking to Philp in the ward, then later in the psychiatrist's office.
From watching the movie I do not believe that Philip killed the young boy, but that Morris did, and then made Philip dispose of the body.
The creature in the bag is the boy, and the trauma comes from when Philip opens the bag and sees the face of the boy staring back at him.
It is at that point that Philip realizes the horror of the situation that he is in, and just how evil Morris is, but he is trapped because he is emotionally weak and timid to begin with, plus Morris has exploited that through his violence and manipulation.
So the movie opens with Philip in a white, clean room with a white clean bed, which is his bed in the psychiatric hospital, and he begins a journey.
Notice that only he and the four boys are on the train, and the boy he is looking at is writing and drawing in a book.
I will argue that the boy is actually himself, not a new victim, and that boy he lets out of the suitcase at the end is actually himself as well, but liberated from the guilt Philip has been carrying.
Philip is very reluctant to undertake this journey into his mind because it is so painful, and he resents the psychiatrist for putting him through this pain, and this projects Morris onto him because it reminds him of the pain Morris put him through.
At the same time he knows that he needs the help of the psychiatrist to uncover the truth and confront what happened to him.
I believe that even as a child Philip was disturbed, and the people in his community avoided him, or treated him badly, as his classmates did during the Fox incident.
That was the clue I had that Morris was his psychiatrist when he had Philip repeat the incident in detail out loud.
Is the Possum creature in the bag actually a reflection of something inside of Philip himself?
No, I believe that it represented Phillip's fear of being killed by Morris, and ending up like the other boy.
Does Philip actually kill Morris in the end?
No, I believe that Philip actually comes to be able to over come his fear of Morris and accept that he was a victim.
The key part is the end of the movie where the camera movies in on Philip.
He is still in the hospital, and may actually end up remaining there because the truth has not set him free.
What took place is in the past, and the only resolution to the events that took place are what happened in his head.
That's the true horror of the movie.
The realization that there will never be satisfactory justice for Morris' crimes.
No problem, glad to hear someone else loves this movie.
I think one of the best parts is that it can be taken at some many levels. The surface level of just a guy with a puppet and crazy uncle all the way to a deep interpretation of what is all just going on in his head.
And both work very well when watching the movie since it was made in such a neat "experimental" way. Glad to hear your analysis of the movie, makes me feel not so crazy. Since sometimes when you look and think on something too long your ideas can make sense in your head but out loud... 😅.
I dig this analysis. It reminds me of Rule of Rose, where all the events of the game seem as though an adult Jennifer is being bullied by the children in the orphanage, and things get very surreal and bonkers towards the end, as Jennifer comes to terms with what happened to her in her youth when she was helpless and didn't take action until it was too late. Similarly, the end implies that Jennifer has only just begun a new part of the healing process after going through all of that, because she now realises the truth.
Dont know how this popped up in my feed, but this is a great synopsis and review, subscribed and keep making good shit!!
Let's go! Got more on the way, let me know if you have any horror movie request
holy shit dude your ability to understand and explain movies on a deeper level is incredible. i watched this years ago when i was younger and probably not mature enough to understand it. i didnt put all the pieces together and didnt care for it. i thought it was slow and weird. but after seeing your video i want to see it again.
This is one special movie, it stays with you..especially when the same kinda story has happened to themselves
So you're telling me that the bag is literally the physical representation of emotional baggage
Okay, this one might be a bit of a controversial opinon but...
In my interpretation, Phillip is not an abuser himself.
It is obvious that he is terrified of Morris, but he also seems terrified of becoming like Morris.
Maybe the people reacting to him being close to the school and the playground are real, but their judgement is misdirected Because people talk and they probably spread stories about Morris and Philip and how Philip might be just like Morris, how hurt people hurt people and how those who were abused become abusers themselves.
But to me, Philip's true fears and horror in the story stem from Morris and also the distress at the thought that he could be capable of harming someone, of being this creepy person the puppet represents, of being just like Morris.
Of course, it could actually have happened that Philip kidnapped Michael because he was abused had taken on this behavior, but... I don't believe that.
Michael is drawing in a book when Philip sees him for the first time, exactly like Philip. Michael is trapped in the cellar, just like Philip was, at least as we can interpret with what Morris says. Maybe Michael looks at Philip in fear and runs because Phillip was his kidnapper. But maybe Michael looks like that because Phillip finally tries to set his young self free, tries to face what happened to him and want to move on.
I feel like this isn't Philip facing his past with an abusive family member and deciding to break the cycle, setting a boy he kidnapped free. I see Philip in that boy. I feel like he had reached out to Mr. Grant, not to report Morris for kidnapping someone else (like Michael), but rather to report Morris for the abuse he himself whitnessed. Mr. Grant would have been the person to support Philip going to the authorities and testifying against his uncle.
I see this ending as a more happy one than other interpretations.
In my eyes, Phillip overcomes his suffering, his self hatred and the fear and at the end, he sets his younger self free. The puppet/possum/his trauma is no longer something that sticks around. That only plays dead (like a possum) and then attacks him out of nowhere.
Smaller things in the movie that sell me on my theory:
We meet Michael's uncle. Which doesn't feel like much, but considering the role that Phillip's uncle plays in the story, it is significant.
Possum looks scary and creepy, yes. But also, if Phillip identifies with possum (or a possum), his only way of survival was to play dead. To just lie there and take the abuse, hoping for it to pass.
In the end, possum is dismantled, probably finally dead. But Phillip still sits with the head of the doll, which looks exactly like him. He has removed Morris' fingers (the spider legs), but his head/mind is now free of it.
So, my view of it is possibly even more positive than yours? But I also have been told I see too much good in stuff and that it tends to be "boring", so who knows lol.
What's creepy about the forest scene with the bag and the spider tree (noticed it while watching this vid), is that the branches of the tree look like spreadeagled human legs. And Philip kneels down between them....
Birthplace of the monster that is Possum.
Had some others point it out too and I'd guess that's to represent where it all started or where Phillips journey down Maurices path started anyway.
But yeah I'm sure there are a ton of other things that I missed like that. That's why it's nice to hear what others picked up on too.
just discovered your channel because of the video about 1408 and now i'm a new subscriber and fan! i love horror movie recaps because i'm too scared to watch them in their entirety hahaha love your vision of the movies, keep posting, please!
Awesome glad you found the channel. Trying to finish the next video now, got the next 4 or 5 videos already planned out too.
The scene that scared me the most was actually the scene where Morris emerges from the shadowy corner with the mask on. I actually screamed out loud and shut my eyes and panic paused the video because it caught me so off guard. I was fully expecting some sort of spider jump scare but not that.
You're not alone. I don't get jumpscared often but that one got me good.
Im so glad you reached out to Mista GG about the 1408 video, because when he mentioned that in his video it made me look you up. I think this movie is so great and unsettling but cant get anyone i know IRL to watch it lol. This video is awesome, I'm subscribed now.
I'm just glad i was able to get a hold of him to talk about it. Extra bonus for him to mention me in the video.
I loved this movie and this is my favorite video I've ever made, and it's awesome you picked to watch this one after coming over from GGs video. (and yeah I also haven't been able to get anyone i know to watch it. 😅😂 maybe one of these days.)
Initially thought the bag and puppet represented the kid, rather the guilt of having X’d the boy. But this is a very interesting take, especially seeing that the boy was still alive at the end.
The heavy bag and ugly puppet are the weight of childhood trauma.
It was nice going back after all these years later to revisit. Intentional or not, I found the leads being named Phillip and Maurice (Phillip-Morris) interesting. The constant smoking, the black smoke, black rain along with Phillip's decline in health appear as if he has a cancer that is spreading, threatening his physical and mental health similar to how Phillip wrestling with the guilt and anxiety is growing and threatening his health. It conveniently ties in well to both your synopsis and the Morris did it all synopsis.
This movie both broke me and became an instant favourite of mine.
When I realised at the very end what was going on, I cried.
It reminded me a bit of Beau is Afraid and The Babadook.
Thank you for your video and in depth analysis.
I…loved this movie in ways I can neither understand nor explain. It’s almost impossible to recommend to anyone who isn’t already familiar with it, and I had watched it completely blind based entirely on the preview poster from whichever service I found it. I watched the entire thing wide-eyed and transfixed.
It also launched a fascination with Sean Harris who seems a deeply interesting person.
glad i found your channel, your videos are well written, well edited, and you have a good, broad sense of humor that i think would appeal to most people. i hope the algorithm puts your work in front of more eyes, because i think your channel is gonna do really well.
good work man, i look forward to seeing more of your stuff
Thank you, according to my analytics TH-cam is starting to finally put my stuff out there, only took 3 years for me to figure out what I'm doing 😅 (kinda...)
@@PolterGibbstI just found your channel yesterday because TH-cam put your video about The Mist on my recommended page. (Which was excellent, by the way.) I subscribed and have already watched several of your videos!!
@@LisaBowers Nice. First had the 1408 video take off, out of nowhere after like 5 months. And it brought in quite few and now The Mist video is doing it too... maybe I'm figuring how all this works finally. 😂
The whole “black baloons”, and the “green candies” that Maurice would give to Philip, which made him throw up, gave me the whole “I developed an opiate addiction to cope with the abuse” story arc thrown in. It comes back after he abducted the young boy, plus the spider puppet is symbolic of the withdrawal. Maybe he couldn’t get ahold of Maurice’s green candies to give to the boy, so he bought a black balloon instead? Idk, but it’s so in your face that it has to mean something!
I know it is has a deeper meaning but even now I'm not sure. The firs time we see balloons I think they are yellow and orange and then by the end we only see black. Which could go back to the black as sin line, but from what I could find so much has just been left to the viewers to figure it all out. Which could be the point that we all deal with and interpret trauma differently.
@@PolterGibbstsince Maurice corrupted Phillip’s childhood, maybe the balloons were symbolic of his childhood innocence being taken away (the black smoke)?
I do love how this movie has so many different interpretations though-we can’t be 100% sure on everything
@@kristynweb7751 could be. Of course made me think like birthday balloon and happy memories, but they have been turned black due to tragedy and trauma. Which would be like even having the happy memories being covered up and also seen in a bad light.
Yes I agree about the movie. Seems like most movies I enjoy most have the same ambiguity to them.
when I seen the green candy I was sort of thinking date rape drug or course it could have just been some drug like opiates that he was made to become dependant on in order to keep him under control.
I paused before you explained what you gathered from this movie and I came to the same conclusion... I don't know how people could interpret this in any other way. I was actually hoping that you'd explained what happened in phillip's past in higher detail. There was a somewhat similar plot in the series "Inside number 9", the episode was very cryptid but they relieved all that had happened at the very end. I don't know if I like this cryptid ending more, I mean I get it, but as we can see, not everyone gets it in the first watch.
This was a really great analysis, thank you for this- helped me understand better a movie I already enjoyed for how unsettling it was, but now I fully *get it*. Definitely think you’re right that Morris isn’t around and it makes perfect sense that he’s part of Phillip’s subconscious. I never had that click in the first watch!
I got this just from viewing it the first time but I think it takes someone watching all types of films, documentaries, reading lots phycological books etc. in order to grasp the first time around what the movie is telling it's audience. Very good analysis btw, & like you had said most ppl wouldn't take the time to try to understand it like you have let alone explain it as well as you did.
I mean, some people aren't very bright. They struggle with symbolism.
Hey, what's up? I watched the shutter island vid and saw this one so I went and watched Possum just now so I could watch this.
I'm saying thanks in advance for turning me on to this movie before I watch your video.
Thank you!
the first ten minutes of this movie was the most implacable dread ive ever felt watching a film. i actually had to pause the movie, the atmosphere was so potent.
"On candy stripe legs the spiderman comes
Softly through the shadow of the evening sun
Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead
Looking for the victim shivering in bed
Searching out fear in the gathering gloom and
Suddenly a movement in the corner of the room
And there is nothing I can do
When I realize with fright
That the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight"
I will watch this again one day, but it was a genuinely painful viewing experience. Yet, Matthew Holness is one of the funniest people in the UK.
I knew this was about abuse, I just didn't realize that from his personal child abuse he was so haunted he almost became the evil that took his childhood innocence. This is so hauntingly disturbing.
Me and some friends went to see this at a local theatre, and the director and writer Matt Holness was actually there and doing Q&A. Unfortunately one of my friends fell asleep during one of the quieter parts of the film. In a theatre with about 30 people. And started loudly snoring. With Holness sat about 10 meters away. My other friend was trying so hard to supress his laughter he couldn't nudge the sleeping friend awake. I felt so bad for Holness, but also it was an incredibly funny situation.
I always assumed Morris was something like an uncle.
I heard about this movie from tiktok and everyone over there called Maurice his stepdad. Which didn't make much sense when watching it then of course you find out it actually is his uncle... which makes me wonder if they just say stepdad because they only saw it once or for spoilers sake.
Dude, I just discovered your channel!! I don't usually like horror movies too much, but this is more psychological horror, and your manner of narration and interpretation is exquisite !!! Somehow you even have a soothing manner... So thank you!!! New subscriber!!!
My first notice was that your video was choppy and blurry and your outfit kept changing. But as I watched, I noticed that your audio quality is crisp, your notes are extensive, your excitement is easily heard and conveyed, and your breakdown is thorough. So keep doing what you're doing cause you're doing great!
Will do. It's funny because my terrible webcam I had seemed to add to the atmosphere of a few movies I covered.
But now I finally have a nice camera, just took time to get here.
@@PolterGibbsti came to the comments just to mention that it this video looked like it was shot on Potato, not video… glad thats been addressed.
It's nuts that this was made by the guy who writes and plays Garth Marenghi (Matthew Holness). Shame he says he's unlikely to make another film due to how difficult it was to get this film made.
Is Micheal not an allegory for a lost childhood that Philip sets free by 'killing' the shame/fear/depression caused by his uncle
I've been a massive fan of Garth Marenghis Darkplace since I saw it when it first aired. Loved how funny it was but also thought that the horror elements were also really creepy.
Only found out about this movie late last year and finally managed to get a copy and watch recently. It is so good and one I've already been thinking of rewatching. Great video.
Not trying to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but I did get 90 percent of this movie on my first watch. I'm used to watching weird stuff, and this movie is absolutely incredible.
My eyes were glued to the screen the whole time and I was blown away by how much it did with so little.
And that one jumpscare by the uncle legitimately scared the shot out of me
toooooooot
Then why would you mention it
@@chrstphrluis2206 cuz he's a viewer as well
Also me too I screamed like a little boy, notice that there is only one jumpscare by the real monster in the movie
Thanks for your take on this! I watched the movie recently and several times as well, since I love minimalistic dramas. I agree with everything you said, but I believe, that his failed puppeteer attempt in front of a children's audience was due to the fact that he presumably tried to process his trauma there and his puppets re-enacted a kind of abuse situation.
The Possum doll will not have played any part, because as you have correctly pointed out, it only exists in his head. However, it makes sense that he was called a pervert by the two teenagers who remembered this situation, because it caused turmoil in this small town at the time and it has not been forgotten till this day.
As a survivor of abuse, I knew that he was carrying around his trauma. The movie did not give a clue as to Maurice's demise. The head of the spider may have been Maurice.
"You starting to put things together yet?"
NO WTF, NO.
Kenneth Anger, David Cronenberg and David Lynch rolled into one
Just discovered your channel and can't wait to see what comes next. I truly appreciate your thoughtful analysis of a movie that i feel hasn't been discussed nearly enough within the horror community. So nice to see it get the attention here that it deserves. I'm so looking forward to future content.
Thanks, means a lot. Working on the next video now.
@PolterGibbst After seeing what you did with Possum, I'd love to hear your take on something like Pulse (Kairo) or The Wailing one of these days.
@@viciously.v haven't heard of pulse, but the wailing keeps popping up on all of my suggested to watch. Guess I'll have to give it a chance now instead of looking for movies to watch for a half hour then just watching TH-cam instead... 😅
Seriously thanks for the suggestion, I'll probably watch it tomorrow.
@PolterGibbst Hey, if ever you need suggestions for horror content, I'm your gal. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by The Wailing. But if ever you find yourself in the mood for something truly bleak, i hope you'll seek out Pulse. It was definitely a sentiment of the times (early 2000's) but, at least in my opinion, it's one that will stick with you.
And just to clarify, I'm talking about the 2001 Japanese film. There was an American remake that, well... just no to that one. Lol
GREAT explanation!!! I got most of it the first time, and yes, the more you watch it, the more you understand how EVERY MOMENT is about abuse...the worst kind.
Sean harris was made to be in horror movies, dont mean to be cruel but he has got an extremely creepy look about him. His voice aswell theres something about it that creeps me out
Shaun Harris was the perfect choice for this movie, a great actor who does creepy really well.
Thank you for talking about this obscure movie in depth and detail, I haven't fully seen the film and I'm actually planning to do a film review about Possum for my New media/film study class! I can't wait to disturb my friends and teacher with this masterpiece of film!
That sounds awesome. let me know how it goes. Im just excited anytime someone else talks about how good the movie is.
This freaked me out even more because I share the same name as the protagonist (Phillip), and I normally love puppets and Muppets etc.
Also, one moment near the end made me scream, out-loud, and I almost climbed over the sofa 😂
Apologies for the essay, i started typing and everything kind of just clicked into place the more i typed it out. This is my first time observervation btw. I will definitely rewatch. But this was my first take
Before i get too far in the video, the way i interpreted this was trauma on top of trauma. Not one specific event, but multiple things over his life.
The puppet being a representation of his own inner struggles with himself (guilt, shame, self-loathing). Maurice is almost like a ghost, taunting him with past memories, (maybe thats how he actually was when alive). Sometimes hes a wicked, awful man, sometimes hes actually compassionate (at the burn barrel). The locations seems to be places where the trauma happened or places that bring back certain memories. I think Philip is not actually there, he's revisiting these places in his mind.
The candy could be actual candy that triggers these memories from a taste, thats why they look old, because they are from when he was younger. Its a reminder.
I think part of him doesnt want to forget because he's shown to be a loner, creeps people out, etc. We also know his parents died in the fire, Maurice survived, and was abusive. This leads me to think that hes so alone that reliving his trauma is the only way he feels like there is someone there. Sometimes good, mostly bad.
My interpretation of all these things leads me to believe he's in a loop of trying to heal his trauma, but part of him either cant or wont let it go. The candy grosses Philip out, but he eats it. Everytime he gets rid of the puppet he's trying to move on, but it always comes back, closer and closer. A poor soul put through hell and now is trying to cope with all that baggage (a literal bag he carries the puppet around in.) Sometimes that inner stuff seeps out and thats why the puppet overtime is seen partially out of the bag. Hearing his name, from my own traumatic experiences, is very straight forward. Even when im alone, i feel like i hear my name being called, or certain sounds make me feel on edge (loud voices in another room, for example. Even if i know its laughing, the sounds triggers something deep in me.) Philip always looks around like hes terrified whe. He hears his name. Like someones coming for him, which i felt tied in with Maurice's comment about how "the law" was after him. Paranoia, or extreme anxiety, maybe.
The possum story talks about "smothering, black as sin," as well as the balloons starting orange, getting covered in smoke, and then the the ballons are black after. The puppet also is enveloped in the same smoke.
All in all, the way i read this film was Philip, a man plagued by his traumatic life, is trying to heal from those experiences but either cant or wont give it up because its all he has or has known. He knows its not good for him, but he still has the nightmares, it always comes back, even when hes thought that hes buried it. And sadly, i think the people around him (the kids on the train, the guys on the stairs, the couple at the park, the staff at the school) i think they are just so creeped out and off put by the way he is that they assume he's a pervert, a killer, etc.
Clearly imo this film was a metaphor for a troubled guy suffering with the nightmares of childhood trauma/sexual abuse.
Man I never usually comment or subscribe to many channels but I really enjoyed this and I've started watching through your other vids. I like your approach to re-telling the plot, your thoughts on the subject and your humour as well
Thank you, this just gives me an excuse to talk about movies that I liked. 😂
And I guess put my editing skills to work.
This movie was so grimy, in a good way, with incredible detail and lighting, mood, tone, cinematography. All the way through I just wished it was a Hellraiser movie. Sadly I found Possum a bit too boring. But the world it was set in would have been great for Hellraiser!
One thing that i noticed was that scene where the bag is lying in the middle of these snaking tree trunks looks just like "the puppet" with the tree trunks as these long limbs, with bag in the center like a body, and if it was unzipped and there was a deceased person inside, the mosters head would probably look very similar. I think there definitely was a murder of a boy in which he had to dispose of his body in a bag and did so in this tree in the swamp area. Thats why it haunts it so much and takes that form. I dont know if that boy is michael or one of the boys his uncle harmed. But its too similar looking.
9:14 is the part with the tree I'm referencing.
gosh this is a late comment but i watched the movie yesterday and loved it from the songs, sound design, body language, to the voice acting it gives so much uncanny vibes that it keeps drawing me in, i felt like in the end it felt bitter to me as if phillp still has unresolved business and hes still not happy with himself im just glad he didn't commit an SA crime like his uncle did ( i felt the vibes he and the uncle were fighting). its one of those moive as after the frist watch you need it to marinate in your head to get it before seeing it again
not finished the video yet but theres some amazingly edited bits
like how the shit you editing this so good with only 5 k subs lmao
love your videos
Thank you, I think if I just get more videos like this one TH-cam will start pushing them more and more. Just got more work to do