Possum hits that sweet spot in my brain. The film is the feature directing debut from Matthew Holness. Director Holness is best remembered for playing the fictional Garth Marenghi on the TV series Darkplace. It’s another one of those shows that readers tell me I need to watch and then I remind them that I don’t take requests without substantial payment. Moving on, today’s film is a happy blending of a man’s love for his disturbing spider puppet and his deep-rooted psychological issues. Throw in a missing kid and puppet mockery and it’s the best British film not featuring Olivia Colman this year.
What’s crazy about the film is how ancillary the puppet Possum feels to the story. It’s a crutch for our lead to work out his memories and feelings about past abuse. Meanwhile, his uncle/caretaker is playing into the creepiness of seedier modern drama. The ending is obvious if you can’t break yourself away from the visuals. However, that puppet is so freaking creepy that it just makes my brain feel all fuzzy.
It’s a good effort for a debut film, but I feel like the script needed another draft. At times, two movies exist at once and they both compete for your attention. Obviously, I prefer any narrative with a creepy spider puppet.
Possum is now available!
